Animal Instincts (Book 2): At War with Monsters
by OfficialUSMWriter
Summary: Spider and his Pack are growing restless in their prison; Spider knows his Captors are out there, watching, and ready for attack. But he might have a plan of his own to free his Pack and even out the battle field. But all might not be lost, for one student at S.H.I.E.L.D Academy might have the answer to solve the puzzling virus, and stop this war before it starts.
1. Total Control

**Hey guys, MERRY CHRISTMAS! (to those of you who celebrate it) and to those who don't, MERRY ORDINARY DECEMBER SUNDAY OF THE 25** **TH** **! I had planned on updating all of my stories today, only two I had time to finish by today. But I'm gonna try and work on the others today and have those up by tonight. Hopefully, *crossed fingers***

 **Now, introducing "Animal Instincts Book 2: At War with Monsters" and I decided we'll start things off with a reunion with Spider and his Pack! This goes on right from where we left off from the last book.**

 **Also,**

 **ß** **that means Spider is talking to Peter in his mind.**

 **Now, let's get reading!**

Spider watched in great satisfaction as Wolverine was dragged away, leaving a trail of blood smearing across the floor and the tangy taste in the air. He inhaled sharply, taking the scent in and felt his mouth water.

The ever-growing hungry sensation rolled through Spiders stomach and he withheld a whine. Cooked meat was just not enough; he craved something more, something…warm, fleshy, and dripping with blood. He was almost tempted to call Squirrel Girl back and eat the infiltrator right there – certainly this _Wolverine_ wouldn't be missed.

But then Spider remembered why he was keeping Wolverine. He needed to watch him, observe, and figure out how these humans worked so he would be better prepared next time they fought. Besides, not only would Wolverine be an interesting thing to watch, he also could prove to be a great chew toy and practice dummy for Spiders pack.

Watching as Wolverine was dragged around away – covered tightly with webs to ensure he wouldn't cause any trouble – Spider turned the opposite direction and walked down the hall toward the rest of his pack. Tiger was crouched by the broken cameras that were scattered on the floor, and was sniffing them curiously. She stopped Spider as he walked past though, with a low growl.

Tiger gently picked up a bigger piece in her teeth, and flung in at Spiders feet. She cocked her head and glanced at the scrap metal, before looking back up at Spider with a confused and expectant look. The arachnid followed her eyes.

" _Cameras watch us_." Spider told her carefully, " _Bad. Enemies."_

Tiger gave him an unimpressed look. She clearly didn't understand. Not a word.

Spider sighed but didn't press. He would teach soon, he would teach them all. For now though, he'd have to them in a way she would. He picked up the metal piece and hissed at it imploringly, showing her it was no friend. Tiger merely sniffed the metal in his hand and backed away with an unconvinced upturn of her eyes; the metal didn't _look_ threatening.

Spider hissed at it again, this time crushing the insignificant scrap in his hands. Tiger decided to go with it and growled half-heartedly at the remaining pieces on the floor, before trotting down the hall and out of sight.

 _She thinks you're crazy_. Peter pointed out quietly; his voice was strangely alight with grim amusement. Spider huffed and turned to the rest of his Pack, _They might think you're crazy too. No one wants a crazy alpha_.

Looking over them, Spider could see looks of hesitance and curiosity. Rhino himself was probing a little piece of metal with his snout. That's okay though, they were just…just…Spider tried to think of the word. He had been learning a lot over the last few days. Unaware…uh…new to this…naïve! Yeah, they were naïve about the situation.

 _How do you even know what naïve means_? Peter demanded.

It was weird; sometimes the words just popped up in Spiders head. He knew they made sense because it just…it just _made sense_ ….Spider wasn't entirely sure how it worked yet, but maybe he would eventually.

Humming soothingly to his Pack, Spider eased them past the metal remains and they walked back down the hall, toward the place they had all been relaxing before there came an intruder. Tiger was already back in the room, laying against the far wall and purring softly in her sleep. Some of the blood staining her fur was licked clean, but dots and splatters still speckled the white coat.

His Pack returned to the activities they had been doing before. Zabu was playing a tiring game of tag with Vulture, though the bird wasn't allowed to blast Zabu – it could injure the young cat, and Spider preferred to avoid Pack-inflicted pain. Squirrel Girl had been scrounging through doors in the walls, but was currently putting wolverine with Spiders other prisoner. Triton was lounging on the floor, watching Zabu and Vulture play and looking like he might jump into the fun as well. Spider watched over them all from a web spun high up in the corner, Rhino was right under him.

The room was filled with playful growls and caws once more, and Spider relaxed. He watched Zabu and Vulture for a while, occasionally shouting out a grunt of scolding scrutiny when Vulture started giving up and letting Zabu win, and then a croon of encouragement when he fought back again.

Eventually though, Spider became detached to the playing and began to think more of the sunlight and sky. He looked up toward the ceiling, and for a moment imagined that is was a brilliant, bright blue and that the light fixtures were actually warm beams of light.

For a moment it smothered the deep, longing feeling in his chest and Spider almost started humming with happiness.

But it wasn't enough, for just as soon as it was there the sky was replaced with cold and hard metal once more and the sunlight was nothing but a dull, blinking bulb.

He grunted in disappointment as the longing came back full force.

 _You've only seen outside once,_ Peter said in disbelief. _How can you be that attached to it? I mean, Aunt May always tried to get me to go outside, but…_

Aunt May? She sounded familiar…but then again, pretty much anything Peter said sounded, in some way familiar. It was annoying at times, like Spider was ALWAYS missing some sort of information. But it was helpful; a bunch of memories followed Peter's words occasionally too. It helped Spider figure out what-was-what and (at times) who-was-who.

~ _The outside it is…beautiful_ , Spider told Peter.

 _If you love the harbor so much, I'd love to see ya in Central Park. I'd be all unicorns and rainbows for you_ , Peter muttered sardonically.

Central Park…

Spider mulled over the word for a minute.

~ _Central Park_? _What is that_? Spider asked in innocent curiosity.

Peter was quiet for a minute, as if worried he had given something away. _It's nothing_ , Peter eventually said. _I wouldn't want you getting any more crazy ideas in your head._

Spider snarled under his breath, he hated it when Peter did that. The voice said something, and then didn't ever explain. It was absolutely infuriating. Down below, Rhino grunted up at the arachnid in concern. He probable heard Spider snarl.

Spider looked down at Rhino to show him he was fine. Rhino studied the alpha for a second, before returning his gaze to the play-fight between Zabu, Vulture, and (now) Triton. Spider watched them for a moment too, before his thoughts shifted again, this time to Squirrel Girl and the two prisoners.

Wolverine was a pretty strong enemy, and he'd probable be awake anytime now. Spider thought of Squirrel Girl, down there all alone with the Infiltrator, and felt a flick of panic and concern for her well-being. He glanced down at Rhino for a moment, who was engrossed in the three-way-fight, before he quietly crawled higher up on the wall and toward the exit.

Tiger might've noticed Spider take his leave, but she didn't follow or say anything about it. She merely laid her head back on her paws and closed her eyes.

Out in the hall, Spider crawled smoothly and quickly on the ceiling as he made his way toward one of the "training rooms". He moved carefully across the webs he strung along the walls, trying not to disturb them to much or – worse – break them. It had taken quite a long time to set up his alarm system, and he'd hate to have to go through all that trouble again – besides his wrists ached horribly when he used too much webbing.

But Spider managed to efficiently maneuver is way across the halls, and only stopped when he stood in front of the training room doors. He jumped off the ceiling and twisted in mid-air so he landed in a crouch on the ground. Smoothly, Spider entered the training room, as quiet as…well…a spider.

Inside the room though, the first scent that hit Spider was that of the tangy smell of blood. He couldn't say he didn't enjoy the smell, in fact a small part of him salivated as soon as the smell reached him.

His stomach growled pestering.

Squirrel Girl, who had been watching the prisoners from a far side of the room, perked up as soon as she saw Spider and chittered a greeting at him. Spider nodded in acknowledgment. She relaxed just a little again, but kept on alert all the same.

Spider walked up to the prisoners, both leaning against the wall. Wolverine was still unconscious, but judging by how much of his injuries had healed, Spider guessed he'd be waking up soon. The other one though, the Agent, was wide awake and staring up at Spider wide-eyed and in fear. Coming off of him was the sour smell of urine, which made Spider bristle in disgust.

 _Uh, yeah, people are supposed to use the bathroom too_. Peter dully told Spider. _And eat. Look at him! They guy looks as skinny as me back in Elementary! When was the last time he got any food?_

Spider shrugged, he honestly didn't care for the human. Heck, the Agent could die and Spider would give it to his Pack as a play toy. Besides, Spider had to be scarce with the food that they had, they hadn't gotten a delivery a food for a while and Spider was still deciding if he was happy about that or not.

S.H.I.E.L.D controlled the food, of course, but they didn't control Spider and his Pack. But then again, there was nothing to hunt in this blasted prison anyway. Well….Spider glanced over at Wolverine…not yet that is.

But anyway, this Agent did serve as some leverage over the situation. Unless S.H.I.E.L.D wanted the Agents and Wolverine to die of hunger –

 _Can Wolverine even die of hunger?!_

-then S.H.I.E.L.D would have to send food. They already had water, so that wasn't a problem.

With nothing to report as a problem, Spider growled playfully at the Agent (who whimpered and pressed himself further against the wall in fright) and turned to leave. Squirrel Girl squeaked a good-bye, and slumped against the wall. Spider noticed how her tail drooped and how she picked at the floor sadly.

It must've been no fun to stay cooped up in this room, just watching two pathetic humans with nothing to do. Spider hummed sadly, and instead switched directions and walked up to her. Squirrel Girl squeaked in surprise once Spider situated himself next to her, but gradually relaxed as Spider simply stared at the prisoners across the room.

It was quiet between the two, nothing much to say or do to ease the time. But as Spider stayed next to her, he noticed that she still looked sad. Maybe it wasn't just watching the prisoners.

He crooned softly at her; Squirrel Girl looked up timidly, but didn't look like she knew how to express what he really felt.

"Squirrel…sad…" Spider noted, one of his talons brushed Squirrel Girls cheek gently. Squirrel Girl looked down in melancholy, but didn't say anything. She didn't even understand what Spider said.

But…well…speaking like a human came disturbingly easy for Spider, so maybe…maybe it would be for her too. A thrill of excitement shot up Spiders spine. Yes, yes this could work. If his whole Pack could learn to talk like them, perhaps Spider could get them to understand the danger this people were.

Shot full determination, Spider scooted so he sat in front of Squirrel Girl and fixated his gaze on her. She jumped back in surprise, but had nowhere to go. Spider looked at her intensely and said, "Talk."

She didn't get it.

Spider scooted closer, "Squirrel. Talk."

Squirrel Girl glanced around the room nervously, but didn't say anything. Her eyes landed on Spider, who still look dead-set and determined, and chittered at him in confusion.

Peter laughed: _She has no idea what you're saying! You can't teach someone to talk just by saying "Talk". It just doesn't work that way._

Spider huffed, ~ _Then what do you suggest?_

 _Well, for one…_ but then Peter stopped. _Uh…you know what, never mind._

~ _Of course_ , Spider grumbled. _That's what you always do_.

But no one, not even Peter would deter Spider from doing this. He was going to teach them all how to speak! It would just take some time was all. But he could do, he knows he can.

Spider patted Squirrel Girls head as if to console her and say: _It's okay; it's not your fault_ , and then got up.

He needed some time to think on this and come up with an effective way to teach his Pack. Squirrel Girl slowly leaned back against the wall, like she was still trying to figure out what Spider was doing. She watched the Alpha leave the room, looking to be mumbling to himself, and regarded him with conflicted eyes.

He was kind of odd.

But she shrugged and climbed up the wall to watch the room from above. Whatever was going on in the Alpha's head, she was sure would be fine.

He was the Alpha.

And the Alpha had everything under control.

 **First chapter, complete! Boo yeah! *happy dance* Hello book 2, welcome to the world!**

 **I'll try to keep up with a schedule for this book. But school can be a writers nightmare, alongside writers block and pinterest/tumblr, so we'll see.**

 **Hope you enjoyed! And MERRY CHRISTMAS!**


	2. Bite Back!

**Hi guys! Second update! XD**

 **Thanks for the feedback from last chapter! I think I'm ready to tackle this story head-first and like a professional football player (only sans the professional part and the pain that follows ;P)**

 **Well, here goes nothing!**

 **OH! Also, Disclaimer: I do not own Ultimate Spider-Man, that right goes solely to Marvel, Disney, and Stan Lee. I'm just so happen to be a poor fan who can't think of anything better to do :P**

 **Here we go!**

Nick Fury calmly made his way through his tricarrier. He walked deliberately with his shoulders back and his hands clasped behind him; his shoes barely even made a click on the hard floors. He passed agents and guards a like, all of whom were sure to get out of his way. Not just because of superior authority though, but because past the calm demeanor and mellow walking, Nick Fury was a ticking time-bomb of frustration and rage.

The Director was notorious for keeping his emotions hidden and his true thoughts and motives close. But anyone could see the undeniable, burning anger in his one good eye; it dared anyone to talk to him and risk getting thrown out a window. Not exactly a risk many were too willing to take.

The reason for Fury's dangerous mood was also something widely known throughout the tricarrier. Months ago, on an ordinary Saturday afternoon, S.H.I.E.L.D Academy (a school built by Nick and Spider-Man to house and train heroes of the next generation) was unexpectedly attacked. In effect, half of the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy's students' physical and mental capabilities were taken by an unexplainable virus.

Of course this was months ago, so why would the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D still be hung up on it? Well, since then the situations regarding those Infected students had worsened to a near catastrophic phase. The Infected grew worse and worse by the day; their personalities were unwillingly morphed and twisted into something wild and bloodthirsty, all grew new animalistic personalities and turned on the tricarrier and its staff. It got so bad till one of them escaped and caused harm to some of his normal teammates, the Avengers, and even killed one of Fury's agents; Nick was then forced to contain all of the Infected in the abandoned Academy, to prevent further harm to his staff.

But they still got worse, daily. One of the Infected and leader of the teen hero team(s) Ultimate New warriors: Spider-Man (the one most effected by the sickness) had gotten his mind so warped, it developed into a more intelligent and vicious consciousness that they named simply: Spider.

Spider, since his development, had rounded up the rest of the Infected and formed himself a Pack, here, he as Alpha, could watch over the rest. If only it could remain as simply as that though.

Spider was, for some reason, smarter than all the rest of the Infected. He had figured out that S.H.I.E.L.D was watching them, he found and destroyed the cameras in the Academy, he now knows that the Academy is just holding the Infected back from the rest of the world, and Spider has even gotten smart enough to somehow teach _himself_ how to talk.

And to top all that off, Nick had earlier been working alongside a group of villains that had been contained in the tricarriers prison block (after they broke out), and one of them might have been the one that caused this all in the first place (which honestly wasn't that surprising). The thing was, Fury might actually need their help again, especially because Spider pretty decided to officially fight against S.H.I.E.L.D and Fury's scientists were no closer to finding the cure then they was in the beginning.

All of this has been a never-ending, spiraling watery mess of frustration, anger, disappointment, and annoyance. Things just seemed to keep getting worse. With every small success Fury had, there came a disaster that nearly sent everything spinning out of control. It was becoming a tireless game where Fury wished he could just throw down his cards and proclaim "You win."

But he couldn't do that; never. Not with how many people were depending on him to keep a level head and strong control, not with the families and friends waiting for their kin and comrades to come home. Nick Fury would grasp the loose strands of control that he still had with a white-knuckled grip and he wouldn't let go unless it was to pry his cold, dead fingers open.

He walk never slowed, nor did it speed up. He entered the prison block with the same demeanor he started with. Guards stood at attention by the cell, their communicator either in their ear in hooked to their belt and a gun strapped to their back or hanging from their waist.

Nick Fury didn't look at them, or even address them. He came here to talk to one man.

The Director stopped in front of a cell, he merely nodded in acknowledgment at the Guard, who nodded back and allowed Fury to step to the air-locked door. Nick punched in a clearance code and allowed himself an eye, hand, and body scan. After a moment a green light shone above the cell and the door hissed as air escaped the lock, and then smoothly opened up.

He stepped inside.

Unlike last time, they weren't in an interrogation room and he wasn't pestering his prisoner for information. But Fury still needed to talk to Kraven; he made a promise, and despite how much he didn't want to, Nick knew he had to do this.

The hunter was sitting on his cot, his hands were still held together with a pair of titanium affixed cuffs that thrummed with energy, and he wore the dull grey prison uniforms of S.H.I.E.L.D. Despite being in a highly guarded cell, Kraven smiled in false welcome as soon as he saw Nick Fury.

"Aw, Fury," Kraven greeted smugly, "What brings the great Director of S.H.I.E.L.D to my cell?"

Nick kept his face devoid of emotion. "You know why I'm here." He said back. Kraven hummed back in agreement; he leaned against the wall, "Yes, but I wish to hear it from you."

"I'm in no mood for games," Nick warned, before composing himself again, "If you recall, we _did_ make a deal last I saw you."

"So, you managed to get surveillance in the Academy, good." Kraven nodded in satisfaction. "Then I will be escorted to-"

Nick Fury held up a hand to silence him, "Not so fast Kravinoff," he interrupted. "Before I take those cuffs off and let you go waltzing back in with my staff, we need to lay down some ground rules." Kraven shrugged, as if he expected that much, so Nick continued.

"You will be given certain hours every day to observe the Infected, and each evening you will be escorted back in your cell until morning, and you will remain in your cell uniform and in no means will you so much as touch any means of a powerful weapon, you might not be in your cell all the time, but you are still a criminal on my ship – don't forget it. Also, you are to report all and any further findings on Spider and his Pack dynamics, immedianly. I expect a report every day. And finally, you will be watched at all times, so if you so much as move one shifty finger out of place, then I'm throwing you right back in your cell and our deal is off. Got it." It wasn't a question.

With that Nick Fury spun around and exited the confined space. Kraven watched him go with a wide and smug smile. A moment later the guard outside his cell entered and motioned for Kraven to get up. "You are to be moved to the Surveillance Room, if you show any signs or means of hostility or violence I will open fire."

"Understood." Kraven smirked. He walked out of his cage and into the hall. Nick Fury watched as the hunter was led down the hall and shook his head to himself, but Kraven was a valuable asset due to his vast knowledge of animal. Nick just really hoped this wouldn't come back and bite him, but knowing how well his luck, it would.

All he could do for now was to fight back and bite harder.

 **HAPPY 2017! In a few hours (for me).**

 **I'm gradually easing back into the function of the story. This (like the last chapter) was more of a brief overview of what happened in last book. But don't worry, we'll get more into the story as time progresses. I'm trying to update "RM" tonight as well. Wish me luck!**

 **And I hope you guys had a great year!**


	3. Pride Issues

**Hey my peeps! Chapter 3, major plot goes in this chappie…enjoy it…**

Kazar was bored out of his mind.

Sitting in a room with lab tech and chemical tubes might be fun for some people (*cough Iron Spider cough*). But _he_ needed to move, to fight, to do _something_ aside from sit there on a stool with his head in his hands and his shoulders slumped. The smell of chemicals was beginning to burn his nose too. While Kazar was no stranger to strong scents, having grown up in the Savage lands, he still wasn't used to _these_ kind of crude smells. The worst he's come up against back at the Savage Lands had consisted of swamp gas and monstrous skunk odor; dinosaur poop too - you always had to watch where you stepped.

This smell, however, while it was headache inducing to Kazar, it didn't seemed to bother Amadeus Cho; who was heavy at work at a lab table in front of Kazar; probing and observing different mixed chemicals.

The young boy was wearing a red shirt with the picture of a name-tag with the words **Hello, I Am a .D** on it. Only it was "funny" because the word "nerd" was spelled with letters from the periodic table, the names of the chemicals the letter represented was labeled beneath the designated letter.

Kazar didn't get, or even care much, about the joke - all he really knew about it was the story behind that particular shirt. He didn't know too much actually, only that the shirt had belonged to Spider-Man, and that Spidey and Amadeus had fought over it before it had been bought. Kazar was a bit fuzzy on the details, but now Amadeus stole it whenever he wanted to wear it - which was quite often, especially now. Kazar wished he remembered the whole story, it had been amusing to watch those to quabble over it.

He frowned at the thought, hating the worm of sadness that squirmed in his chest whenever he thought about the Infected. Of course Kazar missed his teammates, the ones who were all down in the Academy, but his sadness usually centered mainly on his lost brother, Zabu. They'd never been separated for this long, and the stretch of time was beginning to take a bigger toll on him than he thought it would. It felt like there was a chunk of himself missing with the absence of his brother, and it was getting harder and harder to deal with the missing pieces as each day progressed.

Everyone was feeling the effect of that monstrous gas, Kazar understood that - so he tried not to make a bigger deal about it. He wasn't the only one crippled with worry and heartache for his friends/kin, so he promised himself he'd deal with it like everyone else too.

He only wished he had something to do to take his mind off it.

Amadeus looked pretty wrapped up in his equations and formulas; must've been nice to have a distraction. Kazar has already burned through all the different stages that the training rooms had to offer, and he wasn't scheduled to go out on a patrol through New York until later tonight, so he came down here with Amadeus to both keep him company and to watch his back.

After Wolverine, the mutant who was sent into the Academy to put up surveillance, was caught and imprisoned by Spider, Director Nick Fury had decided to re-enlist the help of the villains he had held in the prison block. They've already done this once before, but after the S.H.I.E.L.D systems failed during an important drop-mission to the Academy, rumors that one of the villains caused it thrived like a bunch of dandelions and Nick Fury decided to cap them all, and they've been hung up in their cells to prevent any further harm or damage ever since. Until now...

They didn't have any real hard evidence that one of the villains did it, but everyone knew that bunch couldn't be trusted.

Anyway, after Wolverine was captured, Nick Fury was grasping at straws. He reenlisted Kraven (a notorious and power-crazy hunter) to watch and observe the Infected to get a good view of the pack's dynamics and intelligence-development. Not too soon after, Doctor Octopus was also taken from his cell and was now working in the labs alongside Tony Stark, Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner, Amadeus Cho, and (sometimes) Dr. Curt Connors. It was only a matter of before one of the other prisoners were pardoned as well.

In their resident science room, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner were in their own corner muttering to each other as they both took turns looking into a microscope and discussing their personal observations. Sam Wilson was taking a small nap in the teenagers dorm rooms, and Dr. Connors had gone off somewhere and had yet to return (he seemed to be doing that a lot nowadays).

Kazar knew Tony and Bruce would be able to handle themselves fine, he was mostly worried about Amadeus Cho. The kid was a genius, right up there with Tony and Bruce, but he has been known to cut himself off from the real world when he got into a project. With Dr. Octopus now in the room, Kazar didn't trust that 8-tentacled psycho with his life, or Cho's. Someone needed to watch the child genius's back, and sense Kazar had literally nothing else to do, he decided he'd be the one for the job.

Nothing has happened...yet. But if anything he heard about from the past was correct, then Dr. Octopus was not one you turned your back on.

Kazar wasn't sure how long he's been sitting in there, but he leg was going dead and his butt hurt from the hard texture of the stool and made him squirm unpleasantly in his seat. He didn't plan to leave his teammate, but if the boredom wasn't going to kill him, the stool might!

Amadeus, on the other hand, was drawn from his pleasant pocket-dimension of science and mathematics as he noticed Kazar readjust his position on the stool, _again._ "Kazar," he spoke up patiently, "if you're sick of sitting there, feel free to take a break or...something." Of course Amadeus knew why the jungle-teen was there, he thought it was a good idea to have someone watch his back. But it was obvious the other teen was having a hard time sitting still for long, useless periods of time.

But Kazar shook his head firmly, "No. I said I stay in here, so I will." though he _did_ fancy the idea of getting something to eat. A sandwich sounded like just the thing.

Amadeus shrugged, "If you insist." he replied, returning back to his microscope and scribbling information on his paper. But no long after, his eyes were drawn back to movement, as Kazar squirmed once again, causing more little creaks and squeaks to pierce the silence. The two made eye contact and Kazar rubbed his neck sheepishly while Amadeus gave him an exasperated look.

Sighing, Amadeus looked back down to finish writing. This time, the stool screeched bumptiously against the floor as Kazar moved it closer to the table, as to lay his head on it. Then it went back to squeaking as he fidgeted.

"Oh for the love of all things Einstein and atoms!" Amadeus burst out within a few minutes of the wretched squeaking; dropping his pencil on his paper as he glared at Kazar.

"Sorry." Kazar mumbled.

Amadeus pinched the bridge of his nose, but couldn't bring himself to be too mad. Kazar was just used to moving around, he could understand that. The other teen just needed something to distract himself with. Talking was also a good distraction (or so Spider-Man said), and Cho was feeling the weight of loneliness himself - a bit of conversation might do him some good too.

"If you're so intent on staying here, then feel free to talk about something." Amadeus said, picking up his pencil once more.

"What should I talk about?"

Amadeus shrugged violently, "Well, I don't know! The first time you met Spider-Man I guess - those tend to be crazy stories."

Kazar laughed in agreement. The first time he met Spider HAD been a crazy story; he would have a hard time ever forgetting it. "Alright," he grinned and shifted in his stool once more to get comfortable. "Well, I first met Spider-Man back in Savage Lands. He said he was offering me a position in the New Warriors, a team he was creating. Well, this was after I attacked him and his friend," Kazar admitted sheepishly. "Kraven and Taskmaster had captured Zabu earlier, I wasn't ready to trust Outsiders."

Amadeus hummed in whole-hearted agreement, "Makes sense," he commented as he nibbled on the end of his pencil in thought.

"Anyway, even though I declined his offer, Spider-Man still offered to help get Zabu back - with Wolverine of course. We found Zabu's capturers farther in the jungle, but we got trapped in one of Kraven's traps. We would've been goners if Spider-Man hadn't swung us to safety with his webs. Still surprised we didn't hit a tree or any of those spikes. Spider-Man did get hit with a poison dart though."

"Poison?" Amadeus repeated, quirking an eye up briefly in interest.

"Yeah, a nasty one too. Once its injected in you, it brings out…" Kazar trailed off suddenly. After a minute of silence, Amadeus glanced away from his paper and up at Kazar's thoughtful expression.

"Brings out what?" he urged.

"Its brings out the savage side of you." Kazar finished quietly, his eyes were dark and averted in deep thought. He didn't know much about this technological and scientific world; everything here was flashy and new and _loud._ But in all retrospect, this world didn't know much about the Savage Lands either. Still, Kazar couldn't help think about the prominent problem to their long-term problem: the bundle of unidentifiable factors in the virus that no one had any idea about.

Was it possible that...perhaps….yes...yes, that might be it!

Kazar jumped to his feet suddenly and Amadeus lurched back in surprise. The child-genius was about to demand what the jungle-teen's problem was, but the excited look on the kids face stopped him. Before he could question it, Kazar ran around the table and stopped in front of Amadeus in elation.

"I think I figured it out!" He shouted, grabbing Amadeus shoulders shaking him roughly, albeit unintentionally.

"Figured...out...what?..." Amadeus managed to stutter out, before pulling the other teen's hands off his shoulders and distancing himself a foot or two. Kazar didn't notice, or care, as he rubbed his hands together in excitement.

"The chemicals that you cannot figure out!" Kazar said. "I think I-" but he stopped when he noticed Doctor Octopus looking at him in annoyance from across the room. Kazar's excitement faded a little as scrutiny entered his mind. His face cut down into a suspicious scowl, his eyebrows dropped in a line, his eyes narrowed. and his lips pursed in cynical hesitance. Dropping his volume down several notches, he turned his back to Doc Ock and whispered, "I think I know what they are."

Amadeus froze as soon as he heard Kazar's words. His face was a mirror of shock for a minute and his hands hovered in the air with his pencil still poised in his fingers, but he quickly shook himself out of his state of inactivity and gazed at Kazar in all seriousness. "Are you sure?" he asked. They couldn't give anyone false hope; that would be heartless and cruel. And Amadeus refused to allow false hope to enter his heart either, equations were so much easier to handle than emotions.

Kazar nodded eagerly, "Yes. Yes, I think I know what they are."

"Are positive?" Amadeus strained.

This time Kazar paused, noticing the stretched nerves in the child-genius's tone. He thought for a moment longer. Was he sure?

Kazar slowly nodded, before looking back at Amadeus firmly, "Yes, I'm positive." he assured steadily. The determination and sureness in his eyes look truthful and Amadeus allowed a seed of hope to burrow in his chest.

But he looked around dubiously; searching for signs of enemies who could be overhearing. His eyes landing on Octavius's form the same time as Kazar's did. "I still don't trust him." Kazar whispered from the corner of his mouth, gesturing to the subject of his suspicion with a subtle jerk of his head.

"Agreed." Amadeus replied back, in the same manner.

As if sensing he was the subject of their scrutiny, Doctor Octopus looked up from his notes and met the boys' eyes with a steady gaze. The crazy-scientist studied them stoically for a moment, before his lips quirked up in an arrogant smirk, as if saying: _You're nothing but children, what would you know?_ Almost as if Ock knew what they were talking about. He looked back down at his papers unceremoniously. As if the two younger people were of no interest to him.

Amadeus scowled and pushed Kazar a few steps away from the older man. "Let's go talk about this back at the dorms. Anywhere away from _him._ " he suggested, glancing fleetingly at Ock. "I'll call the rest of the team. If what you say is true, then we'll go to Director Fury immediately."

Kazar nodded in agreement and the two managed to stifle their nervous excitement, and stride calmly out of the room, past the guards lining the perimeter and guarding the door. But as soon as their feet touched the corridor floor they took on running.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Academy.

Wolverine grunted as he was manhandled away from his position against the wall by a member of the Pack. This one being the mutated form of the Prince of the Inhumans, Triton. Fish-boy must've taken a dip in the showers though, for his hands were cold and dripping wet. A few drops of water landed on Wolverine's face, one on his cheek, one on his forehead, and another on his nose. He tried to shake it off, but the drops were irritatingly stubborn. It was annoying, being unable to rub them away, but still easily ignored.

Forgetting the frigid water, Wolverine clenched his jaw and craned his neck to look where he was being taken. Triton roughly grabbed the mutants bound arms and shoved him forward and onto his knees. "Watch it!" Wolverine snapped as he almost fell forward and hit the floor. Not that a smooshed nose would hurt him, but he figured he got enough blood on the partially visible remains of suit; there was no use it completely staining it red.

Triton hissed at him and pushed him again. The message was annoyingly clear: _Get going!_

Huffing, Wolverine got to his feet. He stayed still for a moment, observing his "cell" again. It really wasn't a cell, but actually one of the training room in the Academy. Wolverine shared it with the Infecteds' other prisoner, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent he didn't know the name of. The two were separated though, the agent on one side of the room while he remained isolated in his own little corner.

Everything looked the same; the same boring, metal-grey and silvery-white walls with grooves and lines etched into it, hiding section of the walls that could split away and store L.M.D's for equipment. Wolverine didn't think Spider knew about those yet though.

He also really wished he knew where he was being taken to. But then he caught scent of another one of the Infected. This one smelled dusty, but not in an overbearing way, he could smell the scent of fur (a near-constant smell in the Academy), but there was no mistaking the disgustingly sweet scent that now permitted the area; thankfully only in small waves. Though, while Wolverine could _smell_ him, he couldn't see the target of his senses.

What did you do when you could sense a spider, but not see them? You look up.

He glanced up at the ceiling and, sure enough, Spider was there, clinging to its surface partially concealed within the shadows of the room. The greys, dark browns, and blacks in the Alpha's fur were great for blending into shadows, but the mottled array of light brown made it easier to identify the arachnid. But it was still startlingly how something so big could move in such ease and silence.

Spider cocked his head to the side in interest, as if pleasantly surprised that Wolverine managed to spot him, and jumped down from the ceiling. He landed softly on the ground in front of the mutant, with nothing but a dull _thud_ pronouncing his landing.

"Hello...Wolverine." Spider greeted with an innocent and hollow-sounding voice that, if you really thought about it, did sort-of sound like the Spider-Man Wolverine once knew. Spider was getting better at talking; it didn't take him as long to think about the words, then say them.

"Whataya want bub?" the mutant demanded. Behind him, Triton growled at his harsh tone and stepped forward to punish the prisoner. But Spider grunted at Triton softly, and the Inhuman backed away again; his hostile behavior now calm and at ease.

"Bring Wolverine...food." Spider said, revealing the bundle of nuts and stale bread from the stash of food he stored. Wolverine looked at the food in surprise. "Must eat." Spider continued. "Or does Wolverine...not need food?" his tone sounded mirthful and sarcastic. At least he could still tease; that at least meant the real Spidey was still in there. Wolverine just wished the real Spidey was back to _normal_.

He looked back at the food in the arachnids hands and shook his head, "How do you expect me to eat that?" he questioned harshly. "You tied me up, remember?"

Spider looked over the webs binding Wolverine and nodded in affirmation, looking satisfied that the webs were still holding tight. "You are right," he nodded. " _Other_ prisoner...feed you." Spider pointed a barbed finger at the agent in the corner.

Wolverine followed the direction and scoffed. "I might be your 'prisoner', but I won't be fed my food." he growled stubbornly. "Untie me and I'll feed myself."

Spider shook his head firmly, "No." he stated. "Other prisoner feed you."

"Not going to happen, bub." Wolverine snapped back. He felt kind of ridiculous fighting with a mutated-spider-teenager about his dinner, but if he was going to be stuck down here, he at least wanted his pride intact.

Spider's eyes furrowed in annoyance and he shook his head more forcefully. "No! Other prisoner feed you."

"No."

This time Spider growled in frustration. He looked ready to shove the bread down the mutants throat. But then his features slowly relaxed and he stopped crushing the almonds and walnuts in his hands. "Fine," Spider stated calmly. "Then don't eat." he looked back up at Triton and jerked his head back to the corner Wolverine was pulled from.

Soundlessly, Triton nodded and grabbed Wolverine again and shoved him back toward his corner. The mutant grunted as he this time he DID hit the floor. He swore at Triton, which the mutated-Inhuman responded to smoothly with a swift kick in the ribs.

After a few more minutes of shoving and scuffling, Wolverine was thrown aggressively back into his corner. He glared as Trition casually strolled back to the front of the training room; sitting on the floor by doors where he watched the two prisoners easily. Wolverine grumbled sourly and shifted against the wall to try and get comfortable.

He was, admittedly, surprised that Spider was going to even feed him. But then again, the _agent_ was still alive, and that was the cause of 2 things. 1) he wasn't eaten or kill on the spot by the Pack, and/or 2) he was given food and water. In fact, Spider approached the agent and placed the nuts and stale bread a foot in front of him, not even sparing a glance in Wolverines direction, before retreating out of the room and back into the dark hallways.

As soon as Spider was out of sight, the agent quickly lurched forward and hastily gathered the food in his hands. The agent was usually so refined and curled in on himself, so Wolverine never got a really good look at him. Now though, he could see the uniform hanging off the agent's thin frame, and the distinct hungry gleam in the man's eyes. He must not have been fed too much, for some time.

No, - correction - _of course_ he wasn't being fed that much. Spider didn't really care about his prisoners. The food he stored was for his Pack alone, the prisoners could have only enough to keep them alive - though barely. Sighing, Wolverine leaned back against the wall and watched the agent scarf down the measly meal.

 **And he wondered how long it would take before he acted that way too.**


	4. Failure to Kill

"-but then we managed to turn him back with the glands of a megamiphadis." Kazar finished explaining.

Nick Fury sat silently by his desk, looking at Kazar with a bland expression. He quirked an eyebrow at the jungle kid, then looked past him at the rest of the Academy students; all whom stood up perfectly straight, like some kind of wall of teenage emotion and angst.

"So," Nick Fury said, addressing them all "you're telling me that the ambiguity of the virus is a poison from the Savage Lands, that had earlier been used on Spider-Man, and can only be cured by something else from the Savage Lands, correct?"

Amadeus, who stood closest to Kazar, nodded in affirmation. "And that might also explain why Spidey was affected by the gas more than others." he added. "He could have a bit of residue poison still in him, or maybe his body recognized it somehow and built on it. Either way, I'll have to run tests…" the teen trailed off in thought. Powerman nudged him from behind to snap him back into attention.

Nick shook his head, "But you have no evidence to this." he pointed out. "You're basing it all on theory. And frankly, I don't think I can have my agents going on a goose-chase through a prehistoric jungle based on nothing but a gut-feeling."

Nova pushed his way forward from the group to address Fury, "Well, how many times has your gut-feeling saved your life?" he demanded. "Or Captain America? Even Spidey's survived on gut-instinct, if you remember. Besides, you don't have to send your agents. Let us go." he gestured to himself and his teammates. "Kazar grew up in the Savage Lands, he can be our guide. Come on, you've trained us for this kind of thing."

"It's not like your letting us do anything else anyway." Agent Venom piped up from the back of the group. A mumble of bitter agreement rumbled through the teens. Nick Fury looked them all over, seeing nothing but stubborn determination. He didn't like the idea of leaving a group of teenagers in the middle of a jungle full of dinosaurs - the dinosaurs didn't do anything to deserve that.

But they did have a point.

"What have we got to lose?" Dagger added. "Your scientists are stumped, even Tony Stark is running around in circles. I mean, yeah, all we have is this lead. But at least it's something. What's the harm in just checking it out?"

Fury was quiet as he thought over the situation. It wasn't a completely foolish theory to be honest, and it did give the teens something to do. But he wasn't going to send them into the Savage Lands with no supervision. Yes, they weren't exactly fourth-graders, but kids are kids. As powerful as they were, he didn't like the idea of sending them out on their own.

Sighing, Fury leaned back in his chair. "Okay," he said, and immediately the teens erupted in cheers. Grumbling under his breath and loathing the headache he'd have later, Nick shouted "Quiet!" silencing them all off abruptly. "I have conditions." the students withheld a sigh, but it was still something. They all held their tongue and listened. "First," Nick said, "Not all of you are going."

"What?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Come on!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"What the heck man!"

Fury silenced them with a glare. "The Savage Lands are still dangerous, and with a bigger group you're more likely to be noticed and attacked. This should be an in-and-out mission. Large numbers are not required. And if you disagree, than you can automatically count yourself out of this mission." the teens wisely remained quiet. Satisfied with their silence, Fury continued, "I'll be choosing who goes and who stays, based on who is more accustomed to the Savage Land terrain - not just personal preference. For now, all of you head back to your dorms. Classes will be continuing tomorrow, any arguments will be ignored and dished with detention." with that, the Director waved them out of his office.

The students all shuffled out and filed back in the hall. Right as the door slid closed, Agent Venom punched the closest wall in frustration. "Man, this is so unfair!" he growled. "I hate grown-ups. Why they gotta be like that!?"

"It does seem that we always get the short-end of the stick." Amadeus huffily agreed, already knowing full and well that he wouldn't be going on this mission. His armor was equipped for crooks and villains, not quicksand and dinosaurs.

Despite that though, he really wanted to go! What good could he do here at the Academy? He already hit a wall with his research, despite the fact that everyone thought he was still onto something. At this point, all he was doing was repeating failed experiments! Or as Dagger put it "running around in circles. It was certainly growing tiresome watching himself fail in the same amazing way over and over and over again.

But, he also knew Nick Fury was right. A small group would be faster than a large one, and argue as he might, Amadeus knew he couldn't do much to help once in the Savage Lands. Too many factors could go wrong; his suit could malfunction due to sudden harsh environment; he could get caught in quicksand and damage his internal software (with nothing to fix it with either); his armor was a bit flashy and could cause unwanted attention; he could lose his suit; he could get eaten by a dinosaur! Each scenario ended the same: he being either deadweight or simply dead.

"Yeah." Nova sighed, almost sounding like he was agreeing with Amadeus' internal reasoning. "And we got class tomorrow too. Ugh."

"Anyone else feel like the universe is conspiring against us?" Power-Man asked. Everyone else raised their hand in agreement.

"Don't know why you're complaining though." Nova grumbled. "You're most likely to get to go on the mission because of your 'invulnerable' skin and whatnot; you and Kazar and pretty much guaranteed."

Powerman scowled at the crude statement and crossed his arms stoutly, "Well, excuse me for being more durable then you, Nova." he snapped hotly.

"Oh really!" the human rocket retorted, hovering in front of the bigger teen. "Well how about I-"

Iron Fist smoothly stepped between the two fuming comrades, and pushed them apart from each other. "Let's all just cool down." he suggested. "A rift between friends can cause the best team to crumble. If we can't physically help our friends, then the least we can do is keep it together for them until they get back."

"Yeah, and that'll be a little hard if we're too busy biting each other's neck offs." Cloak grimly agreed. "Come on guys, arguing is the last thing we need right now."

Nova and Powerman shuffled shamefully. "Your right." Powerman said. "We can't afford to be fighting right now. Sorry Nova."

"No, I started it." Nova admitted woefully. "I'm sorry." he held out a hand. Powerman took it and shook it firmly. Once they let go, the students remained silent in the hall for a moment or two. Before soon, Dagger sighed and started walking down the hall. Cloak followed after her, then gradually everyone else did too. They didn't talk as they journeyed back into the dorms. A place they were spending more and more time in.

Inside, blankets and spare suits littered the ground messily. A few forgotten plates of food were placed here and there, and random teenage trinkets poke out of hidey holes. A pair of headphones under a blanket, a book or two in the corner, even a football by Agent Venom's bunk.

Each teen, shoulders weighed down and eye tired, found their respected bunk and slumped in it. Amadeus reverted his armor back into a backpack and left it leaning against his cot as he lay down in the messy pile of blankets he called a bed.

Being a kid sucked. Being a kid genius sucked even more. Being a kid genius who was also a superhero was the suckiest of them all. Here his team was looking up to him to show every adult in the triskelion that, even though he was a kid, he could still contribute; and the Infected were depending on him to find a cure for their situation. If he was being honest with himself, he really wasn't doing too good of a job for either.

Amadeus almost couldn't believe it. That a brain as big as his (in a metaphorical sense) couldn't solve a problem. He was used to being able to solve any problems - that involved numbers and formulas of course. This sudden feel of uselessness was new and weird...he didn't like it in the slightest. His experiments were going nowhere but in the trash and he was completely stumped when it came to figuring this virus out - he really was running in circles. All he could do now was wait for essence of some creature from the Savage Lands, if he wanted to even think about getting back in the game. What was a Megamiphadis anyway? Amadeus has never heard of an animal like that before.

Besides, once the antidote to that poison Kazar mentioned was found, it was unlikely that Amadeus would be getting any of it. It would all probably be going to Tony, Bruce, Sam, Connors, and - ugh - Octavius. He could always sneak it away, with the help of Cloak or someone, but if he was caught then any trust the adults had in him before would be ultimately crushed. It was a suck-fest all around.

Groaning softly, Amadeus flung an arm up and over his eyes in a odd, yet comfortable, position.

This here...this was nice. Just relaxing on his bed. Not thinking, not worrying or fretting; just soothing tensed muscles and forgetting about the worries that became his life.

Unfortunately though, tranquility was a comfort lacking in his life, as his wrist communicator beeped, reminding him that it he was on tonight's patrol group. Around the room he could hear the communicators of the rest of the scheduled patrol group beep in synchronization, accompanied a few seconds later by small groans of displeasure and the rustling of blankets.

Groaning again, Amadeus moved the arm over his eyes and heaved from his bunk so that he was sitting upright. Kazar and Dagger were already up and getting ready to go, so Amadeus did too. He got to his feet and slid his "backpack" over his shoulder once more.

For a minute he didn't activate it though, and just thought about the feel of the bag on his back. The comfortable and nice pressure it put on his shoulders. And, for a moment, he remembered what it was like to be a normal kid, going to a normal school, doing normal kid things.

But then the moment left and he was struck back to reality. Shaking his head at the thought, Amadeus gripped the straps and pushed outward, activating the backpacks systems. The bag hummed, then lept and expanded over his body and he became Iron Spider once more.

Amadeus has been considered a genius ever since before his preteens; his favorite pastime involved solving complicated, college-worthy math equations. He was kidding himself; he's never been a "normal" kid, even before he became Iron Spider.

* * *

"Iron Spider, on your right!" Dagger called as she threw several pointed beams of light at the masked crooks assaulting her. Amadeus whirled around and blocked the strike of a crowbar from another goon with his arm, before shooting his assailant away.

Nearby, Kazar was knocking and kicking his own crooks. There were about 9 criminals in all; all dressed in black clothes and cheap, plastic animal masks. Amadeus was fighting 2 of the crooks, one with an ape mask, and another with an alligator. Kazar had 3 bad guys on him; a horse, a cat, and a mouse. Dagger was being circled by 4 goons; a tiger, a dog, a monkey, and a zebra.

When they first stumbled upon the held-up jewelry store, it seemed like the typically robbery - only with a larger number of idiots attempting to make way with the diamonds. But, turned out it was more of a hostage-thing. They were targeting the wife and daughter of some rich delegate, and was holding up the entire store as they tried to make their escape (probably hoping to break away with said diamonds while they were at it). Well, until Iron Spider, Dagger, and Kazar got involved, that is.

The goons were easy enough to fight. It was the small crowd of hostages being held in the corner that made it more challenging. They didn't want any civilians getting hurt, which was proving to be a tad hard as the goons were certainly not taking their hostages safety into account. Such bad manners. The stores security guards had been overwhelmed earlier, and now lay unconscious on the ground. Another thing they were trying to avoid: stepping on knocked-out guards.

Iron Spider was ashamed to say that he might've accidentally stepped on the fingers of more than one security guard.

"Dagger, one of them is trying to get away." Kazar shouted as he shook a crook off his back.

"On it!" she replied, immediately spotting the attempting-to-flee robber. He was hurriedly making his way toward the back exit, with a bag of jewelry clutched in his hand. Dagger punched the crook in front of her in the nose with enough force to hear a crack, knock him down forcefully, before spinning and throwing a light dagger at the escaping offender. The dagger caught the guy in the sleeve of his shirt, causing him to drop the bag. Several more daggers followed afterward, pinning the guy to the wall, like a big in a case.

She turned back around, in time to find another crook already swinging her bat in a wide arc toward the heroes head. Dagger lunged forward, performing a tuck and roll on the ground, and stopping a few paces behind the guy. Only this one wasn't a guy, but a girl. Dagger could spot the long ponytail from behind the zebra mask, not only that, but the slim figure and belly shirt was a dead give-away.

Planting her foot firmly, Dagger launched herself upward with a dagger growing in each hand and swiped at the felon. Zebra managed to dodge the first strike, and retaliated with a strong swing of her bat. Dagger managed to hit Zebra the second time around, but while trying to roll away from the other's attack, she didn't move fast enough and the bat whacked her on the shoulder. Grunting from the impact, she sidestepped another swing and knocked Zebra out with a punch to her temple.

There was another sound from behind, and Dagger withheld a groan. She turned to fight her next attacker, but was surprised when a repulsor beam hit into the guy, and sent him hitting into the window instead. Dagger gave Iron Spider a grateful smile and a thumbs up. Iron Spider returned the gesture and the two joined Kazar, who just finished off the last of his crooks.

"Well, that was fun." Kazar huffed, watching the last one fall.

"Yeah," Dagger grimaced, rubbing her hit shoulder. "fun."

"You okay?" Iron Spider asked, noticing the rubbing.

Dagger shrugged, and winced as she moved her shoulder. "I'll be fine." she assured. "Probably just bruised. I've had worst."

Outside, police cars were flashing red and blue. Officers held their perimeter around the building, still unaware that the bad guys have been taken down. Iron Spider stepped past the unconscious crooks and approached the quivering hostages. "Okay guys, police are outside. Mind telling them what happened in here? Yeah? Kay? We good?" he asked.

They all stared back at him wide-eyed. Iron Spider cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Okaay, uh...we'll just go then." dealing with the civilians was awkward. Maybe it was because they were in shock or just in awe, but they sure liked staring.

Iron Spider, Kazar, and Dagger went to make their leave out the back door (they avoided interactions with the police, mostly to get out of a long explanation of how they beat the crooks - it got old the first 15 times). As they left, Dagger noticed the quivering robber still pinned to the wall. She sighed and knocked him out with a blunt light dagger, then willed the others nailing him down to disappear. The crook slumped to the ground. "Let's go," she told the other two, as they had stopped to see what she was doing.

Once back outside and high up on a building, they stopped to take a breather from their latest robbery. That'd be the third one that night- crooks were really trying their luck today. Ever since they started going on patrols again, the crime rates had dropped exceedingly. Gangs and robbers seemed to be getting that message that even though something happened with their resident heroes, said heroes weren't going to stop putting them back in their place.

But, there were still days when petty thieves or a few crooks decided to push their luck and score something. Well, they'll be scoring nothing but a jail-cell tonight. The three heroes sat on the building ledge, legs dangling over the side, and simply stared out at the city. The sun has long since gone down, and left the city to bask in its self-made glow.

The city, in all its bright and loud glory, soothed Amadeus's nerves and the adrenaline from the fight began to wear off. His foot hurt a little from when he stepped on it wrong, slightly rolling the ankle. But it would've been worse without the suit on, so he didn't complain about.

Besides, judging by the grimace on Dagger's face and the way she was rubbing that shoulder, Amadeus guessed that she'd have a decent colored bruise tomorrow. "You sure you're okay?" he asked her one more time.

Dagger stopped the rubbing, finding that she had been caught in the act, and casually folded her arms. "I'll be alright. It just hurts a little." she said, withholding the urge to shrug. "That's what I get for letting the guy hit me with a bat." at the worried look of Kazar, and the concerned tilt of Amadeus head, she added, "I'll probably have Dr. Connors look at it so make sure the guy didn't dislocate or break anything, but I'm sure it'll just bruise. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, if you're sure." Amadeus replied. "Though, I could scan it for you if you want. I'm thinking of updating my scanners to do a deeper level inspection. You know, to help assess wounds when a medic's not around. I think it'd be helpful. And if it is bad, then I could have, like, tabs of information I could store in my database to walk us through how to deal with the wound till a pro can get to it. But that'd also mean I have to come up with some way to store on-hand medical supplies, which I actually already have a few idea for-" Amadeus paused when he realized he was now rambling. He blushed and cleared his throat awkwardly, as Dagger and Kazar were smirking at him in amusement.

"I think I'll be okay." Dagger reassured him with a serious nod, but her eyes were still bright and she added a smile at the end so he figured she was just teasing him.

Amadeus coughed into his fist, "Yeah, okay." he mumbled and decided to avoid eye-contact with either of them. Man, sometimes he hated how carried away he could get when in conversation. Especially if it's about a project or new technology that he found fascinating. He's had riveting conversations with Connors a few times, but the scientist was a lot busier now; and with Amadeu's fellow science nerd currently a blood-thirsty beast, his science talks have turned few and far between - unless he counted when he talked to himself, which he didn't want to count as an actual conversation (especially because he tended to argue with himself out loud, and sounded like a complete looney when he did).

Pushing all of that aside, Amadeus looked at the time in his helmet visor. "It's getting late guys." he announced. "Let's do one more sweep here, then we'll head back to the Triskelion."

The other two nodded, "Maybe we should split up to cover more ground." Kazar suggested. "The area IS kind of big."

Dagger nodded with Kazar in agreement.

"Sounds fine with me." Amadeus said. "I'll take the South side."

"I got North." Dagger called.

Kazar shrugged, "Well, then I got West."

"We'll do East together on our way back to the Academy." Dagger said. The boys nodded, and the three got up to perform their tasks.

With a small wave, they all split ways. Dagger jumped onto the the next building and made her way across the rooftops, Kazar moved in a similar manner. Whereas, Amadeus jumped of the building, free-falling for a moment or two, before he brought his suit to life and flew through the buildings.

* * *

Kazar ran from rooftop to rooftop, jumping across alleyways when the buildings split, and propelling himself off of fire escapes and poles when they were too far away. He jumped over generators and climbed up and over walls, dodging water containers and avoiding satellite dishes.

It was strange to him. This world of concrete and noise and bright lights. Back in the Savage Lands, thing were so different - and a lot quieter. When he first arrived in New York, his senses had been ambushed with the horrid sounds,the fast movement of New Yorkers, and the smell - ugh, the smell was absolutely atrocious. How could anyone live here? How did they manage this battle of the senses? It seemed less like an area for living, and more like a war-zone.

But, as he spent more time here, he realized that the two were very different, but also very similar. Every noise had a story, every smell led him somewhere, every sight was informing. There was no quicksand to avoid, but the concrete could prove just as fatal (especially when plummeting several stories down toward it). The smells were equivalent to swamp gas and poisonous plants, telling him what is dangerous and what is safe (note - be wary of most hotdogs.). And, as Spider-Man snarkily pointed out before, the New Yorkers WERE like the dinosaurs - all different sizes, but they could be as mean and nasty as an angry T-Rex. Some even had large fangs and claws - that one was quite disturbing actually.

But all in all, Spider-Man was right. This concrete jungle was sort of like the Savage Lands, in a weird, crazy, different-but-still-dangerous kind of way. And each day Kazar stayed, he got more attuned to this place. He was able to navigate the streets with only mild difficulty, he could move along the rooftops quite well, he could even manage angry New Yorkers without having wound up fighting them to the death - which was a nice change from some dinosaurs.

So far, the streets he was scouring seemed pretty low-key. While the streets themselves still seemed pretty full, the crowds had thinned some, so it didn't look as cluttered. All alleyways seemed clear and free of danger, and there didn't seem to be any purse-snatchers hiding in the shadows. It seemed like the days dash of crime was over.

"Better check one more time anyway," Kazar muttered under his breath. He'd hate to miss something. Altering his track a little, Kazar moved in a wide loop so that he could do one more sweep of the surrounding area.

Everything still seemed fine. The remaining crowds walked under the glare of the light's, a light murmur coming off of them as some talked with others as they moved. The hotdog stand he passed earlier was being packed up for the night; a few corner stores were closing up as well, while a few others were still open. But nothing out of the ordinary.

Feeling content that he could meet back up with his patrol group knowing his section to scout was secure, Kazar smiled and took a deep breath of air to soothe his muscles. Though that was a mistake, as he coughed roughly from New York oder he just inhaled. That hadn't been a good idea.

With his nose wrinkled in disgust, Kazar shook his head, as if to shake the smell away, and began his trek across the buildings. His patrol for the night was nearly done.

Continuing his way of travel, he turned to the direction of the main Bugle building, where he'd meet with Dagger and Iron Spider to scour the East side, before they'd all head back together.

But, a third of the way there, Kazar heard something. It was small. So small, he almost thought he didn't even hear it. But then he heard it again. A small scrape, like a nail dragging against brick. Something was behind him, watching him from the shadows. He froze for just a second, before relaxing again. He knew when he was being stalked, and if he wanted to get the jump on his hunter, then he'd need to let them think he didn't know he was there.

Besides, the this stalker knew Kazar knew he was there, then they'd likely to do something unexpected.

Without a hitch, Kazar jumped onto the next building, not pausing or changing his pace. If the hunter could keep up with him before, there should be no problem now. He continued on like this for a few more buildings, acting calm and at ease as he got closer to his destination. But, during one jump, there was a noise from the alleyway, and Kazar used this as an excuse to stop abruptly and whirl around, as if startled by the noise.

Sure enough, he barely saw the fleeting shadow of a person duck behind a water tower. Acting as if he didn't see it, Kazar played his part and peered down into the alleyway to find the source of the noise from earlier. It was just a stray dog rummaging through a few trash cans.

Shrugging the noise off, Kazar continued his trek through New York. Now that he was completely aware of his pursuer, it was easier to discern small things that gave them away. The slight, almost barely distinguishable patter of feet, an occasional flash of their shadowed body out of the corner of his eyes, and, occasionally, the tiny sound of a nail scratching at the brick. Whoever this pursuer was, they were skilled, but not enough to fool Kazar.

The teen vaguely considered turning to confront his stalker. But then, figured he would wait till he was at the Bugle building for the assistance of Iron Spider and Dagger. Sure he wanted to face this threat head-on, but all advantage would lie with his foe. They're probably more accustomed to fighting in New York, and if they had the skills to sneak up on Kazar, then they must've been a bigger threat than any robber or purse snatcher.

But, as a twist of fate, his pursuer had other ideas. As Kazar drew closer to his destination, he noticed that he could no longer hear his stalker behind him. When he strained his ears, he couldn't even make out the patter of their feet. Every sense Kazar had suddenly sharpened to its extent as he realized he wasn't alone, but he couldn't see his offender.

There was a sudden thud behind him and Kazar barely managed to dodge the swipe of his attacker as something whisked past his head. Before the teen could retaliate, or even get a good look of who he was fighting, he was violently and unexpectedly tackled, and the two went tumbling off the building and down into the alleyway below. Kazar's instincts were pulsing with life and he immediately maneuvered his body so he landed briefly on his feet and broke the impact of the fall with a somersault across the ground, before rolling back on his feet and twisting to face his opponent.

Still hidden in the shadows, Kazar would barely make out the figure of his attacker. They had landed on their feet smoothly and now stood facing him with calm ease.

"Who are you?" Kazar demanded instantly. Did he know this person? Had he offended them? Were they an old enemy? Nothing about them seemed familiar, but then again, Kazar couldn't really see them that well at all.

His opponent said nothing. They simply lunged forward. Something flashed in the little light of the alleyway, and Kazar sidestepped the knife his attacker thrust at him. It was a long knife, sharp, but it too was hard to make out, even as Kazar's eyes adjusted to the lighting.

The hunter whirled around as Kazar sidestepped, and swung for the teens neck. Kazar grabbed the hunters wrist and pulled forward to knock him off balance, and then swung his free arm and slammed it into the hunter's face.

The opponent grunted and tore his arm from Kazar's grip and jumped back to briefly assess his target, before swiftly jumping back toward the teen. This person was fast, really fast. They swung with lightning speed, swiping at exposed skin aiming for Kazar's heart, throat, abdomen, or wrists with nerve-racking speed. Kazar unsheathed his own knives just in time, and managed to deflect and avoid any serious cuts.

But, as the fight wore on, he wasn't able to fend off each attack, and was aggressively slashed across the chest, leaving a long, jagged cut in its wake. Grunting and hissing from the sting, Kazar growled and lurched forward, smashing his knives into his opponents, locking both weapons together in an X and pushing against the offender in a battle of strength.

Kazar knew he was pretty strong, having grown climbing and swinging from trees, fending off dinosaurs, and trudging through every danger the Savage Lands had to offer. As skilled as his opponent was, he could tell they were lithe and not as built; Kazar held the advantage now.

Or so he though.

As he pushed, he was astonished to find the hunter matching his strength. Not just matching it, but exceeding it. Kazar felt the hunter push back forcefully and the jungle teen began to waver; they were a lot more powerful than he had anticipated.

But he wasn't going to give up that easy, and forced every muscle he could into dominating this threat. Still though, the hunter pushed back with more force, causing Kazar to stumble, and then suddenly lurching back so the teen was off balance, before sweeping his feet out from under him.

Landing roughly, the breath was knocked out of Kazar in a rush. He saw the hunter jump forward again, knife raised, and his hand shot out and grab the hunter wrist, halting the point of the knife a few inches from his heart. At closer look, was it even a knife? It looked weird; definitely not like any knife he's seen. The texture of it seemed all wrong.

But that was a minor thought, as the hunter pushed down and the knife cut down an inch. Kazar grunted from the force and pushed back with all his might. His muscles shook from the strain, but he manage to hold the weapon effectively in place.

The world held its breath for the next few minutes, watching in cold silence as the battle between Kazar and the hunter unfolded. With each minute, the teen's strength depleted and the knife ate away centimeter after centimeter from exposed flesh. Panic began to set in with Kazar as the tip almost touched skin. He needed a way out of this, or he was dead.

Thinking frantically, all Kazar could hope to save him from this was the knife protruding from the leather wrist gauntlets strapped to his lower arm. If he could just get this knife away….

Shouting, Kazar pushed the hunter wrist to the side so it wasn't over his heart, and let go with one hand. The knife surged down, and Kazar shouted again, this time in pain, as the blade plunged into his shoulder instead. But, even with the pain, Kazar thrust out the knife in his own gauntlet and the hunter shouted as well (the only sound they made the whole fight) and jumped back, pulling the knife free from Kazar's shoulder, and held their side as it gushed blood.

Kazar, once his shoulder was freed, scrambled away from the hunter and wearily got to his feet. The two stared at each other, both breathing heavy and both bleeding freely, but neither attacking. "Who...are you?" Kazar gasped again.

There was no reply.

The hunter's head cocked to the side though, and seemed to be looking at Kazar's knife - which was dripping with blood. The teen glared and tensed, preparing for another attack. Instead, the hunter did something with his hand so that something white sprayed over his wound, before wrapping his bloodied hand in the same substance. The hunter glared at Kazar for a moment, before jumping up and kicking up the wall to land on the teen.

Kazar dodged, and whirled around to fight back. Instead of really fighting though, the hunter latched onto Kazar's bloody wrist gauntlet, and tore it from his arm. With one of Kazar's weapons secured, the hunter flipped backward and away from the teen. Grunting as they landed, their hand flinching as it raised to press against the wound. With one last look, the hunter jumped high up in the air, grabbed one of the bars of a fire escape high above, and hoisted themselves up. They scurried up the fire escape, as if it were a jungle gym, quickly, and disappeared up and over the building a moment later. Gone just like that.

Kazar waited for several minutes, watching and waiting for the hunter to come back and attack. But they never did. Knowing the fight was over, Kazar sighed in relief, before groaning from the pain in his shoulder. With one hand up and pressing against the bleeding wound, Kazar managed to activate his communicator and called Iron Spider.

A voice came over the device a few seconds later. "Kazar, where've you been? Dagger and I are already at the Bugle building. What's keeping you?"

"I'm…" Kazar looked around the dark and dingy alley. "I'm - uh...in an alleyway." he mumbled. "I'm not sure where."

"What are you doing in an alleyway!?" Iron Spider demanded.

"Um...mostly bleeding out."

"WHAT!?"

"Yeah, I think someone just tried to kill me."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, could you - uh, you know, come help me out."

"Y-yeah. Okay. Stay where you are. Dagger say's she'll call the Academy for a medical extraction, I'm gonna track your location."

"Okay. Please hurry. It is very dirty in this alleyway."

"Don't go anywhere."

"I have nowhere to go."

Iron Spider huffed and the connection broke. Suddenly exhausted, Kazar stumbled slightly. He tore a strip of the lower part of his pants and bound it tightly against his shoulder,using the leather cord around his neck to secure it in place. The dinosaur teeth decorating the cord dug slightly in his skin, but it was a minor discomfort.

Wearily, Kazar sat on the ground, waiting for Iron Spider to show up. The sound of repulsors filled the air a minute later.

* * *

"You are a disappointment." the accented voice stated harshly.

The hunter stood erect and at attention at the screen before him. He didn't say anything to contradict the statement, but merely hung his head in shame. The wound in his side was still bleeding, having not yet received proper professional attention, his face hurt too - his nose was bleeding; but both wounds were momentarily forgotten.

"All you had to do vas get rid the jungle kid, vas it not?"

No reply.

"Vith all your training!"

No reply.

"How could you have failed."

"He got the jump on me." the hunter finally snapped, unable to help himself.

The voice sneered, "Yes, as I can see." indicating to the hunters wound. The hunter scowled, but didn't reply. The voice scoffed in disappointment.

"Get your vound cleaned then report back for more training immediately. Ve with ensure that this vill never happen again. Dismissed."

The hunter stiffly nodded and charged out of the room. His anger was bright and flaring, the wound in his side doing no good to help to his mood. All he had was one mission and he blew it. Not only that, but this wound hurt like crazy. He'd been in for an extra torturous session tonight - wound or no wound.

He may have failed this time. But next time…

"I promise you I won't fail a second time." he whispered dangerously. "Next time, I'll bring you his freaking head on a platter!"

 **DONE! Whoo-ee, what a chapter right?**

 **This took forever to write. Ugh, I'm tired. But here it is! Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Also, for those of you who read my "Being There For You (One-Shot Book)", the chapter "Long Live the Queen" was adopted by Tahitiseabreeze, she/he will be continuing the story, she/he says to expect it posted on April 1. So, you guys should totally check it out.**

 **Also, there's a USM one-shot called "One Step Behind" by Stormy1x2, which is REALLY good. If you haven't read it yet, then I highly recommend it! I took a quote out of it (at the authors consent) and posted it on my profile because I thought it was awesome and a really good thing to remember. You guys should check him/her and their stories out. They're great!**

 **Well, that's all for me now. Tell me what you thought of the chapter down below. Night my melons! Kisses! (づ￣** **³￣** **)づ**


	5. Seabreeze Raspberries

Several hours after Wolverine refused to be fed, he was now sitting propped up against the wall with the other agent feeding him some mushy and rotten raspberries. He scowled across the room at a smug-looking Spider as he chewed up another berry, unable to wipe the red juice running down his chin.

Damn Spider.

This was humiliating. It was bad enough that his arms were cramping from being wound up from the webs, but now he had to suffer through being fed like some child. He could feed himself perfectly fine. He wouldn't even try to run away. Where was he supposed to run, anyway, without inadvertently showing the Infected a way out? Give him some credit - he may not be Reed Richard or Tony Stark, but he wasn't stupid.

The problem in this situation was Spider. That beast was as paranoid as Magneto. He was super protective and extremely defensive, especially when it came to his pack; he even had a special distasteful interest for Wolverine in particular. The mutant couldn't so much as sneeze without getting a suspicious stink-eye from his furry-warden.

He opened his mouth for another raspberry.

Spider snorted in amusement causing Wolverine to glower further. _Gotta remember to give the kid a noogie when he's changed back,_ he thought to himself. _A really big, hard noogie. Involving my claws. You know, if…_

If he changes back. The unspoken thought was left like that - unspoken. It was bad enough that, last he knew, S.H.I.E.L.D was no closer to solving this virus than Professor X was too convincing Magneto that humans and mutants could co-exist; but now Fury also had to figure out how to get both he and the agent out of the Academy alive (he would be fine, it was the other agent that was the problem) all while keeping tabs on Spider and his pack to make sure some catastrophic disaster wouldn't happen.

He ate another raspberry.

Spider got down from his perch on the wall and walked silently over to them. The agent tensed and turned pale, but forced himself not to look up at the beastly captor and, instead, stared intently down at the raspberries that were leaving red juice stains on his hands. The agents' hands shook. Wolverine always noticed the hungry look Spider got in his beady eyes when he looked at the agent - he didn't blame the other man for being afraid. Not when a tall beast with poisonous fangs and talons stared at him like he was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Looking away from the agent, Spider addressed Wolverine in amusement, "See, not so bad."

"I can feed myself." Wolverine snapped back.

Spider shook his head. "Wolverine be fed," he stated firmly. Wolverine knew it was pointless to argue, Spider didn't take anything he said into account. So he instead glared at the arachnid, wishing he could unsheathe his claws and show the arrogant creature a thing or two.

The Agent held up another berry. Wolverine stubbornly refused it for a few seconds, his eyes locked on the center two of Spiders before he swallowed his pride and accepting the food. "Your berries are rotten," he told the arachnid criticisingly.

Spider shrugged all of his arms, making his whole body shift up, not even bothering to look like he cared. "Wolverine eats what is given," he replied simply.

"I hate you."

Once again, Spider looked like he could hardly care. He turned away from the prisoner and lumbered toward their current guard, Zabu. Zabu got up from where he was laying and ducked his head down so he could rub it against one of Spider's hands. "Watch them." Spider told the cat, pointing to the two people behind him.

Zabu followed the referenced direction and then looked back at Spider, cocking his head a little. Spider pointed more intensely at the prisoner and gestured for Zabu to keep his eyes on them while repeating more firmly, "Watch. Them."

The cat seemed to get it. He mewled in understanding and lay back down on the floor, his yellow cat eyes fixated ahead. Spider left feeling satisfied.

* * *

Back in the shared dorm room the rest of the pack was training.

In a way...

Spider had them set up in pairs, each group battling another in a fight of skill and power. To him, it helped his pack with teamwork, this way they could fight properly with one another and get to know each other's fighting skills and weaknesses. He found a memory from Peter of some of the enemies training together to get better skill and functionality - why the memory had him there helping the enemies Spider had no idea. It was very stupid and perplexing.

 _Stupid and perplexing, yeah right._ Peter grumbled. _You say that about everything you don't like or understand._

~ _Fine,_ Spider thought _, Peter is stupid and perplexing._

 _Hey!_

Ignoring the voice and his rant of obscenities, Spider addressed his pack with a satisfied grunt. Tiger and Vulture were teamed up against Squirrel and Rhino. Tiger was an excellent teacher for Vulture and did an ideal job of keeping him focused and attentive - whenever he messed up or dove at the wrong moment, Tiger would send him a growl of warning and hiss of instruction.

Squirrel and Rhino worked well together. Rhino's hide was thick and tough, giving him the advantage against Tigers claws and Vultures talons. He was sturdy too, nothing, it seemed, could knock him down. But he also couldn't see far behind himself, making it hard to fend against attacks towards his back - but that was also where Squirrel came in. She remained perched on him, fighting and driving off any of the other two that came up from behind. If she had to leave his back, she was hasty and quick to get back on - Tiger and Vulture had a hard time pinning her down. The two groups were tough and evasive to one another, a good balance.

It was great.

But Spider also noticed that Triton was not present. Which was odd, because he was pretty sure he sent Squirrel to go fetch him. The arachnid looked inquisitively around the room. Hmmm, where could he be?

The training seemed to be going fine, both sides were still eager to fight and challenge themselves, surely they could go on a bit longer while Spider searched for their missing member. Nodding for them to continue, as they had slowed to look at him for any direction or comment, he walked back out of the room as the fight commenced.

Spider walked through the halls, being sure not to trouble the webs on the walls - he put too much time and effort into them only for them to accidentally get ruined - and walked along the center of the corridors.

His first guess as to where Triton would be was the Water Rooms. It's where Triton always was. Spider just hoped he was okay - he always worried when he had seen one of the pack members for a while. Who knows what could be happening in the prison.

But, it seemed he didn't actually need to go find the meta-fish. Apparently, Triton had been looking for _him_. Triton came hurrying along the corridor, quickening his pace as soon as he spotted the alpha. The pack member was hissing and warbling frantically, edging Spider to get closer as he scooted back down the hall. Beckoning him forward.

Spider stopped in surprise. "What wrong?" he asked, a tad worried. Was someone in the prison? Another enemy maybe? HE KNEW IT!

 _Whoa, don't get your fur in a twist! I honestly don't think that's what's going on._

Triton, whether he understood or not, hissed more frantically and scurried up to grab onto one of the arachnids many arms. He pulled Spider forward, still warbling quickly as he glanced fervently between Spider and whatever was down the hall. Yep, something was definitely up.

 _I think he wants to show you something._ Peter piped up.

Yeah, Spider could see that - he didn't need Peter telling him.

 _Whatever, just keep telling yourself that._

Huffing at the voice, Spider allowed himself to be pulled down the hallway, toward whatever had gotten Tritons rapt attention. Eventually, they entered the Water Rooms, where the floor was submerged in water a few inches deep. The faucets were still running, filling the room up ounce by ounce. Spider found that sometimes they turned off and stayed off for a while - the first time this happened it resulted in a near breakdown for Triton. The first thought to explaining this horrible predicament was that the enemies were threatening to cut off their water supply if they didn't submit.

 _Or Fury just forgot to pay the water bill._ Peter had snarkily commented.

Either way, the water always returned, so it wasn't too much of a problem, yet...

Triton led Spider through the water, back behind the stalls and curtains, to a small closet-like room that was hidden in the wall. It was a tight fit and filled with brooms and buckets. Spider searched for the word for it...a janitors closest? What was a janitor?

Peter whined, _I swear, if Stan is the janitor works HERE too I'm gonna...I'm gonna...well, I don't know. But it won't be good!_

Yeah, whoever this Stan character was, Spider was pretty sure they weren't here. Well, they weren't here for a while anyway. There was no distinguishable scent within the area, all it smelled of was dust, fiber, and...something sharp and unpleasant.

 _Those would be cleaners. You know, bleach and stuff. Don't blame them for stocking up on it though. Ever since Hulk used the bathrooms,_ Peter made a noise of disgust. _It was the thing of nightmares._

Peter was no help. He shouldn't babble about useless information when he could be saying useful stuff. What does Spider care about this "incident", he needed to know if the - what was it? - bleach? He needed to know if it was harmful. It certainly smelled fatal. It was a horrible, horrible smell indeed.

 _Don't give me that attitude_ , Peter snapped, but answered anyway, _Yeah, it can be harmful. Don't drink it, or get in your eyes, or smell it too often, or- you know what, just don't do anything with it._

Spider hissed at the chemicals. But, apparently, that wasn't what Triton had meant to show him. The meta-fish was leaning inside the small space, shoving the bottles of bleach out of the way and whining thrillful at something behind it. Spider peaked over Triton's head. Behind the racks holding the cleaners was a circular piece of metal with another circle poking out of the surface from a sturdy cylinder of metal. There was a crack in the wall behind it.

The word popped up in his brain. Hatch. It was a hatch.

When Spider leaned in closer, he detected something new mingling with the foul odor of the room. It was something equally horrendous, a smell that made him want to whimper and scratch out his own nose. But, that wasn't it. There was one more thing - another smell. Something salty, but crisp and wild. Spider recognized the scent immediately and centered his senses around it.

It was the ocean.

 **MUAHAHAHAHAHHAH! And done right there :P Sorry about such a long wait guys. I've been running around with things to do, but school just got out WHOOP WHOOP! I'M FREE! So, that should mean I get more time to update! HURRAY!**

 **See in another update ;)**

 **-Adios! (until next time)**


	6. Well, At Least It's Not Kraven

**Guess who's back - back**

 **Back again-ain**

 **Guess who's back - back**

 **Back again-ain**

 **...It's me! Alright, this chapter is told in Kazar and Taskmaster's point of view! Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

His shoulder still hurt. Ugh, stupid, silent, blood-thirsty hunter.

Kazar carefully hefted the S.H.I.E.L.D supplied backpack over his uninjured shoulder, wincing anyway when the bandage opposite to it rubbed or irritated his wound in any way. With a grimace, he willfully resisted the urge to rub his shoulder and instead turned from his bunk to exit the small room he had been given aboard the Tricarrier.

Even within the sanctity of his room, he could feel the energetic bustle of S.H.I.E.L.D beyond the door. After coming back to the Academy from the attack with the hunter in that alleyway, something seemed to have had awoken inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Ever since the accident, involving Spider-Man and his prison break from the Med Bay, the cooperation had seemed to lock down in on itself. No news got out to the public, there were no real sightings of S.H.I.E.L.D agents or its heroes, and any footage that news choppers got from filming the Triskelion was "mysteriously" hacked and deleted within 10 minutes; so as far as anyone in New York could tell, S.H.I.E.L.D was nothing but a lifeless, flying metal husk in the sky.

But now it's been sparked back to life. Someone had been after Kazar, specifically. After a few S.H.I.E.L.D detectives looked over the battle site and patrol trail of Kazar, they discovered that the hunter had been hiding in the shadows for at least an hour, waiting for the teen to run by. How the hunter knew he would be there, no one was quite sure, but Director Fury theorized that someone has been watching S.H.I.E.L.D, and whoever it was wanted Kazar dead.

For a scary moment, Kazar and the rest of his teammates thought Fury would pull the plug on a mission to the Savage Lands. But, surprisingly, he was actually eager for them to go now. "Whoever's out there wanted to kill Kazar, probably because he is one of the only people who can safely navigate the Savage Lands." the Director had said, "That means there's something there they don't want us to find. I think you kids were right about the cure being there, but I also think we need to tread carefully. Whoever attacked Kazar might be willing to try again."

Originally, only 3 people were to go on the mission: Kazar (of course), Taskmaster (because he was also familiar with the Savage Land terrain), and Hulk (to keep dangerous animals - it be dinosaurs or giant mosquitoes - away). But, consequently, since the attempt by this enemy was on Kazar's life, Nick Fury decided to have Captain America tag along too. Not much could get past Cap, leaving Kazar in extremely capable hands. Which was fine, Captain America was a true inspiration, and just really awesome, anyway.

Personally, Kazar was just happy Kraven wasn't coming along.

He met up with Cloak, Dagger, Iron Fist, and Powerman outside in the hall. They looked at each other idly, before wordlessly walking down the corridor together. Halfway down, Powerman stated, to no one in particular, "I guess Nova was wrong about me going on the mission." He said it casual enough, but anyone could catch the layer disappointment there if they listened closely.

Dagger gave him a sidelong glance, and clapped a hand on his shoulder with a small sympathizing nod, "Yeah, I wanted to go too."

"Next time, perhaps." Iron Fist contributed half-heartedly. Cloak didn't say anything, but his face conveyed enough.

Kazar wasn't sure if he should talk or not. _He_ was the one going on the mission, he had nothing to feel disappointed about, except - perhaps - his shoulder. Besides, he didn't really want to rub his involvement in anyone's face.

He already had one person out for his blood, he didn't need anymore.

Well, that and the fact that Kraven wasn't coming put him in a good mood, so he had nothing to really feel sour about anyway.

* * *

Taskmaster was being escorted to the top of the Tricarrier by 8 guards. They had retrieved him from his cell and given him his confiscated clothes back - well, all aside from his weapons, which he was told would be on the jet, where he would be joining Captain America, Hulk, and Kazar on some silly mission.

Ugh, this almost wasn't worth it.

Not only did he have his hands cuffed behind his back, but he was blindfolded too. Probably Fury's idea; didn't want him to memorize S.H.I.E.L.D's interior design or anything, which was annoying. Not that he needed his sight to tell where his escorts were, anyway. He heard their footsteps, there were three guards on each side of him, and one both behind and in front, their gloves whined quietly as their guns rubbed against the tight, leathery texture.

He'd admit he wasn't used to being held as a prisoner, especially in a place as horrible as S.H.I.E.L.D. His days serving the organization was like a humiliating slap to the face. But at least he understood their customs and tactics enough that he could get outta here the first instance the cuffs snapped off.

It was just a shame he was otherwise... _occupied_.

* * *

The teens didn't say anything else the rest of the way up to the landing strip. There, the rest of the team, the Avengers, and some of the staff were waiting. A couple of them were helping the agents stock the ship with necessary provisions, food, water bottles, and, of course, weapons. Parachutes were checked and made sure to be in mint condition, the jet's systems were thrumming and top-notch, there was even a lifeboat deflated and folded against the wall.

The send-off group didn't plan on staying long in the Savage Lands, but they didn't want to be caught unprepared for anything either, be it a dinosaur attack, an unplanned crash, or even a maniacal hunter out for you or your brothers blood - did Kazar mention how happy he was that Kraven wasn't going? The hunter said he'd prefer to stay and continue observing the Infected, which was perfectly fine with the teen. Besides, if there was anyone who had a better chance of navigating the Savage Lands than Kazar, it would be Kraven, and they didn't need that guy to run off and try to kill them as they slept, or sacrifice some magical t-rex for super strength, or something like that.

But, despite how happy Kazar was about Kraven staying - if anyone caught on to his good attitude toward that - he still felt particularly sour that it was _Taskmaster_ who was accompanying them. It WAS Taskmaster, after all, who brought Kraven to the Savage Lands for him and his brother in the first place. Thankfully though, as skilled as Taskmaster was, didn't know as much about the Savage Lands and its terrain like Kazar or Kraven to be a serious threat if he decided to go it alone for a while. Buuut he still knew enough to survive for s short time, should anything happen. Not to mention he was, admittedly, a good fighter and would come in handy against any troubles.

But still...

Hmmm...speaking of a certain combat-chameleon, where was he? The guy wasn't with the awaiting send-off group or being kept under watch in a small corner of the deck where he could easily be pushed off without anyone notice... The man's absence made a small part of Kazar flicker with hope. Maybe Taskmaster _wasn't_ coming after all!

But did he dare believe his luck could be that good? If Spider-Man taught him one thing, it's _"to never trust in your luck. If you believe you're in the green, then the universe will fall on you like the Juggernaut and crush you with disappointment and pain and a whole,_ _ **whole**_ _lot of paranoia."_ Spider-Man's words, not his.

Kazar morphed his walk into a jog, setting his sights on Hulk and Captain America, who were talking to Nick Fury off to the side. Before he could get far, someone caught his elbow. When looking back, he noticed that the rest of the team had assembled behind him, with Powerman in front, Kazar's elbow in hand. "Hey," Powerman said, "We just wanted to wish ya good luck." he gave Kazar a kind smile. "Good luck."

Behind him, Agent Venom whooped, "Go kick some butt!"

"And bring that megamiph-a-thingy back with you while you're at it." Iron Spider piped out, sounding somewhat like some father reminding his kid to do his chores.

"And keep an eye out for any crazy people who want to kill you," Dagger added, she sounds more like a worried mother who fretted over the children. Kazar chuckled lightly, despite the achy reminder of his injury, and nodded. "I swear I will not let you down," he promised them.

Nova crossed his arms with a smirk, "Of course you won't," he said with an eye roll, "You were trained at S.H.I.E.L.D Academy weren't you?"

Kazar chuckled again, "Yes. I suppose I was." It was funny. He had just met these kids, he couldn't even tell you their alter-ego names, yet, he felt his heart swell with the looks of encouragement and confidence they shot his way. They all, every single one of them, were disappointed that they weren't going on the mission, yet they'd still rally behind him and give him their support. Nothing could replace Zabu, never in a million years, but he still felt a sense of belonging here with them. They were all different, yet still kind of the same. He felt, however small it was, that maybe they all really were _kind of_ like a family.

Kazar gave them one last grateful look, before walking toward the send-off group. Hulk, Cap, and Fury finished whatever they were discussing just as he approached them.

* * *

Up ahead, Taskmaster heard a group of people approaching in the corridor, among the footsteps there was an all-too-familiar metallic _clank, clank, clank, clank_ hidden among the normal thud of shoes on metal floors. Despite having been given his mask back, he repressed a cold smile.

He and his escorts rounded a bend, just as the other group of people did too, resulting in a "sudden" collision that sent him falling back into one of the guards, both of whom ended up as a pile on the floor. There was a soft crinkling and swooshing sound as papers were sent careening in all directions. The hall was filled with loud scuffling and many rushed apologies as both the agents and the S.H.I.E.L.D scientists rushed to their feet, picking up papers, in which was, no doubt, the most unprofessional way that Taskmaster had ever heard.

"You idiotic, bumbling bafoons!" a cold, hollow, and slightly metallic voice cursed. There was only one person Taskmaster knew who could use the words like "bumbling" and "bafoon"

"Well, it's so good to see you again, Dr. Octavius." Taskmaster sneered as he kicked the agent who had landed on top of him away.

There was a sharp clank in his direction. "Taskmaster," Doctor Octopus spat. "Glad to see S.H.I.E.L.D has paid no expense with your treatment."

Taskmaster shrugged, "Better than working in a lab like a slave. Tell me, when will you be returning to employment for Osborn? Seeing how you're so keen on being kept as some petty lap dog."

"Like your any better your worthless worm!" Octavius growled Taskmaster heard him surge forward in fury. A flurry of agents rushed forward and intercepted, pushing the man back and shouting threats to use lethal force if he didn't comply, guns whined to life in emphasis. The mercenary chuckled, he could imagine all-too-well what the scene looked like. Octavius always was a bit of a hothead.

As he got to his knees, the sounds of agents pushing Octavius away still loud in his ears, Taskmaster felt someone push something into his hands. It was small and thin, crisp but fragile; a scrap of paper he estimated to be barely the length of his palm. The messenger moved away just as quick as they had been there, and smoothly joined back in with the rest of the collisional group.

Quick, but smoothly, Taskmaster slid the paper into his boot, then got to his feet. By then, the chaos had been settled and the guards resumed their positions around him. Both agents and scientists split ways and continued their own trek through the halls, (Octavius muttered profanities at Taskmaster as they passed each other).

All as if nothing happened.

* * *

"Ready to go," Kazar reported to Fury and Cap, vaguely wondering if he should salute or not. Did the situation call for one, or...

Before he could decide, Fury nodded and said, "Good. Jet's prepped and the team is ready. I need this to be in and out Kazar, no detours or long routes, we're on the clock."

"I'm aware, Sir. It didn't take Wolverine and I too long last time if all goes well we can be back here by the day after tomorrow." Kazar assured. "At the latest, we'll be three days."

Captain America shouldered his shield, "Well then, it's probably a good idea to get right on it." he glanced around once, "Where's Taskmaster?"

Ugh, so maybe he WAS coming.

Nick Fury did a quick sweep of the area, into his comm he said, "Agent Grant, where is Taskmaster?"

" _We're on our way Sir._ " a voice replied back.

"I don't care that you're 'on your way', I want to know why you're not here _NOW_."

 _"Sorry Sir, we, uh, had a little collision with some scientists. But it's all good now."_

"I want you up here within 2 minutes, agent, or I'm throwing you off this ship myself," threatened Fury, then he shut the comm off. Kazar wasn't sure if Director Fury would actually do that, but judging by the group of agents hurrying onto the Tricarrier deck a minute later, he figured the Directors threat might've been more honest than he thought. Centered within the group of agents stood a blind-folded Taskmaster.

Kazar swallowed down the bile in his throat.

But he _supposed_ he still preferred Taskmaster over Kraven, you know if he _had_ to choose one of em.

The agent in front of the group saluted to the Director, "Forgive our tardiness, Director Fury." he promptly turned and unfolded the cloth around Taskmaster's mask eyes. "We ran into some scientists and-"

"This isn't some school agent, I don't want to hear your apologies or excuses. What I DO want is for Taskmaster to be secured within the ship and ready for take off." Nick growled,

The agent nodded, "Yes Sir."

"Wait," Taskmaster interrupted grittily, "Aren't you going to take these off," he nodded his head toward his cuffed hands. "I'm not some dog, Fury."

Nick raised an eyebrow like he didn't completely agree on that point. "You'll be uncuffed soon enough," he said, "Now get in the jet. Keep in mind that you agreed to go on this little field trip, thus you agreed to abide by the rules."

Taskmaster glowered under the mask, staring at Nick for a long minute, before turning sharply away toward the jet without a word. A bit of something unpleasant wormed its way into Kazar's stomach. Just the thought of going anywhere with that guy made him want to hurl.

 _But_ , he sighed, _there's was nothing I can do about it now._

Oh well.

Still better than Kraven.

* * *

Taskmaster stormed over to the jet, barely able to keep his composure. His teeth ground together beneath the mask, and his eyes glared holes in the jet in front of him. Never had he desired to kill Fury and his agents more than he did right now.

To be honest, it wasn't really even the cuffs that bugged him, it's not like he couldn't defend himself with them on. No, he was infuriated with Fury, and Coulson, and the rest of the back-stabbing agents aboard the Tricarrier. He remembered the days of loyalty and teamwork he had with them. Ugh, they were like poisonous memories that made him feel more disgusted the longer he stayed.

He itched to grab his guns and shoot their brains out - no, rather he'd take his knives and kill them slowly. Now _that_ he would enjoy.

Frankly, the only thing he could think of that could calm him down, was the thought of Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D getting what was coming to them. And it was coming soon. He just needed to be patient.

So, he sat quietly and allowed the agents to secure him to the bench on the jet, locking his ankles to the floor so he couldn't make a run for it. He was obedient as they replaced his cuffs with an advanced-looking silver band that was linked together by a hard-light chain, once turned on. He didn't attack their vulnerable backs with their owns weapons as they turned away.

 _All in due time..._

He remained still in his seat, staring at the wall, his hands clasped and laying supported on his knees.

But, after a minute, he glanced through his peripheral vision for any unwelcome eyes. There was an agent watching him outside. Feigning ignorance, Taskmaster pretended to stretch his back, before leaning forward and staring down at the ground between his feet.

He could still feel the slip of paper in his boot.

 _All in due time..._

* * *

 **Annnnd - done! WHOO!**

 **I'm just gonna leave you with that. B)**


	7. Two Talking

They walked silently side by side through the Tricarrier.

It was night, yet the Tricarrier was still alive with activity from the staff. Agents clocked out and switched shifts, jobs were continually carried out, and systems were watched - like the city is glided over, the Tricarrier was never truly asleep.

But, the more important people it held were. Nick Fury, while usually up to the dark hours of the night, clocked in early. The Avengers went back to spend the night in their tower. The teens were all asleep in their bunkers.

Despite the "heroes" being gone, they still needed to be careful. As they walked, they had to lower their voices to near indistinguishable whispers, just to communicate. "Were you successful in delivering the message?" the First one whispered.

"Yes," the other replied.

The First one smiled. "Good, I'd hate for Kraven not to get the news,"

"Of course," the other said.

"I'm surprised with how well this is working out, I was right to take the risk,"

"Yes Sir,"

A chuckle. "And you hardly even understand what you're doing. The irony is amusing,"

"Yes Sir,"

"One last thing before we separate,"

"What is your command?"

"Keep a good eye out for that kid, Iron Spider. You did good with stealing his papers for me, it was just added luck you managed to destroy the rest. I don't want him getting too close to anything, make sure he doesn't stick his nose where it doesn't belong,"

The other stared emotionlessly down the hall, eyes never straying. "Yes Sir,"

"Good. Now, _sauros._ "

The other suddenly jerked back a tad, blinking his eyes rapidly. His eyes lost their glazed look and sharpened into focus. He looked over at the First and scowled. There was hate in those eyes. Uncomprehending to the earlier conversation, the other walked on a head, motioning for the guards further back down the hall to get closer. "Take him," he gestured to the First, "to his cell for the night. You have permission to shoot if he causes any trouble,"

The guards nodded once, guns set to lethal as they led the First farther down the hall. As they passed the other, he and the First made brief eye contact. The First smiled sharply, before turning down a bend and was lost from sight.

Everything was going according to plan.

 **Short chapter, I know, but it's relevant. Please don't request for the chapters to be longer in the comments, I made it this short on purpose. It serves the story in this length, okay.**

 **The next chapter will be longer, I promise. ;)**

 **Anyway, pardon my long absence. I just got a puppy! ^.^ And I need to get a job, so...**

 **Thanks for reading! 3**


	8. Practice Dummy

It was hours since the discovery and he could still smell the ocean.

Spider was in his web, trying to sleep, but couldn't keep his thoughts from wandering back to the hatch Triton had discovered earlier, and the bitter (but oh so sweet) smell of the ocean. Just the thought of it sent tingles down his body, racing from the top of his head to his toes.

Freedom. It was so close, and yet...

They couldn't leave yet.

Just thinking those words left his stomach twisting bitterly. And maybe something more...a feeling that made him squirm and feel sick to his stomach. His mind tumbled over itself to figure out what it was.

Guilt.

He was feeling guilty for not telling his Pack the discovery. It took nearly an hour alone just to convince Triton to be quiet about it, and even then he wasn't completely sure Triton would be able to keep away from the hatch for long. The ocean called to the meta-fish more than it did Spider. There was no telling how strong Triton's desire to return to the sea was.

But he still listened. He was strong.

Spider hummed pridefully to himself. Triton was strong. His whole Pack was strong.

But not strong enough. That's why they couldn't leave yet. The last time they were close to freedom, they were stopped by their Enemies. That couldn't happen again, not if he could help it. But now that they had a way out, it was time to step it up.

Tomorrow, the real training would begin.

* * *

Wolverine sprinted down the hall.

He turned a corner sharply, feet thudding against the floor, keeping himself well within the center of the hallway, far out of reach of the web-covered walls and ceiling. Grunts and growls echoed behind him as a constant reminder that his time was running out and that they'd be on him soon.

It felt so stressful being the hunted rather than the hunter. No wonder people he's tracked and fought always seemed so high strung. Even Sabretooth wasn't this tenacious. Hell, he'd certainly prefer Sabretooth at this point.

But, no, he was stuck with a pack of mutated, sadistic teenagers out for his blood. Seemed just like his luck...

He followed the hall down into one of the numerous lab rooms in the Academy. Immediately upon entering, he closed the door as quietly as possible, keeping his eyes on it a few seconds more before silently creeping across the floor to the other end where another door stood.

The cats had his scent. It wouldn't be long before they tracked him in here. outside the door, he could already hear them snuffling and sniffing the floor. Quickening his pace barely below making a sound, he pulled at the doorknob from the opposite door and stepped out, closing it softly behind him.

Taking two steps back, he eyed the door grimly, extending his senses beyond the corridor and into the closed room to tell him whether he successfully got away or not. A door from inside splintered and a raucous roar nipped at the heels. With a curse, he burst down the hall, eyes hunting for another way to go. Whatever sick game Spider was playing, he wished the kid would've left him out it. Why couldn't the spider-freak just leave him alone in the training room where he could keep an eye on the other agent?

He barely turned the corner before his exit door down the hall was thrown from its hinges and into the wall opposite to it. Excited growls and mewls shuffled inside the hallway, quick to follow his scented path. It was a shame he lost the Anti-Odor clip Tony made. Even if it was a blocker for his senses, it'd still throw these creatures off his trail.

This hunt has been going on for, he roughly estimated, 30 minutes. 1,800 seconds of him evading their claws and teeth and leading them throughout a wild goose chase through the Triskelion. It was a constant moving game, the only breaks he could scrounge up was when he was being chased, which honestly didn't offer much breathing time.

Between his strong scent, and his breaths coming out as loud, panting huffs, it was no surprise that he couldn't shake the Pack. They could hear him from yards away as if he was standing right next to them.

 _Why am I doing this anyway?_ he growled to himself. _I shouldn't play Spider's game. Who cares if they catch me. It's not like they can kill me._

His movements slowed a fraction. It was tempting to stop and let them kill him, just because Spider would know that he did it on purpose and get angry. It was kind of petty, but since HE was the one getting bound in webs and stuffed in a corner and being hand-fed rotten raspberries, Petty was the last thing on his mind. The only downside is that it would hurt. Getting his flesh and tendon ripped apart and scattered on the floor was exactly a good feeling. It hurt like hell, and it kept hurting till he was completely healed. Just because he could regenerate limbs or flesh, didn't mean he enjoyed doing it a lot.

Besides, the Pack spared no expense when he gets caught. They were brutal and savage the first time they killed him, and judging by the murderous gleam in their eyes when they got too close, it was safe to say they wouldn't exactly be gentle this time either.

Growling in annoyance, Wolverine sped up his pace. He could hear the scratch of claws on the floor get louder, and he knew there was no way he was evading them now. He spotted another door. Instead of going in quietly, as last time, he rammed into it with his shoulder, which tore it from its hinges and sent it clattering on the floor inside. He ran into the classroom, throwing any chairs or tables on the floor behind him as he went. Which did little good as most of the desks and seats were bolted to the floor.

Damn you, Fury.

There was another exit door off to the side. Before he could reach it though, the Pack burst into the room. Squirrel was first since she the nimblest of them all. She jumped over whatever pieces of furniture Wolverine tossed and scurried up the wall to the side of him, baring her sharpened buck teeth with claws pinching the metal in excitement.

White Tiger and Zabu were next. White Tiger maneuvered over to him with the grace and feral movement of a predator. Zabu would've looked equally as sophisticated if he hadn't stumbled over one of the chairs Wolverine turned over. Regaining his footing, he and White Tiger split and circled Wolverine with critical eyes, hair bristled and serrated teeth bared.

Triton slunk in next, webbed feet slapping against the floor. His scales looked dry, probably from the running, and his expression seemed one more along the line of pouting than intimidating or scary. His back was hunched and his spindly arms hung listlessly by his side. Never has one of the Pack looked more like a grumpy teenager than he did.

After Triton, Vulture flew in. He looked better than the last Wolverine saw him. His movements were still agitated and jerky, and his slitted eyes seemed to jump from place to place as if he couldn't focus. But he didn't immediately start firing at anything that moved and flew through the air, circling Wolverine from above. He's definitely improved.

Rhino followed. He was the biggest of the Pack, his back nearly reaching the ceiling, his horn just barely grazing the top. He couldn't fit through the door though, and after a few attempts at getting through without getting stuck, he gave up and watched the proceedings from out in the hall.

Spider wasn't present within their ranks, but Wolverine could smell his presence in the shadows, simply observing. Wolverine didn't bother going into defense to fend them off. He was caught and he definitely wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of fighting back. Not like it'd do anything anyway. He didn't want to kill them, or even excessively hurt them. They were still just kids under the influence of their predator sides. Besides, even if he did, it'd only be a matter of time before they killed him anyway. So why go through the hassle?

"Fine," he grumbled, holding up his hands. "You got me. Whoo hoo for you,"

The Pack regarded him uncertainly. Their expressions seemed unsure about his decision to not fight back. Up in the shadows, he heard Spider growl.

Why did it matter if they fought him anyway? The hunt was just a game for them. A chance to spill blood and sedate whatever bloodthirsty desires they had. Sure a fight would probably make it more fun, but it wasn't necessary.

From above, Spider snapped, "Fight. Back."

Wolverine turned to stare at the shadow cast ceiling. "Why?"

"Fight. Back."

"Would if I don't want to?"

A huff of agitation. "Fight! Back!"

Wolverine scowled. "No."

There was movement on the ceiling, then Spider dropped down, crushing a few desks with his landing as he glared at Wolverine. "Why do you not listen?" he hissed.

"Because I don't want to play your stupid game," Wolverine snapped back. "Look, bub, I may be your prisoner, but I'm not going to willingly be your play toy too."

All six of Spider's eyes hardened like a black diamond. "Not play toy," he corrected. "Practice dummy."

He hissed and motioned for the Pack to attack. He jumped back on the wall to watch, all of his arms folding over his chest and torso. Wolverine had just enough time to comprehend Spider's words before the Pack was on top of him and he was torn apart by teeth and claws.

 **Hey, guys. So, another small-ish update, but there was nothing much else I could do with this.**

 **So, you've all probably noticed that I've been super busy and haven't updated between long time period. Well, all I can ask is that you bear with me because I do have somewhat of a life beyond writing fanfiction (gosh I wish I could get paid to write this stuff - unrealistic dream job is to write fanfiction for a living) and things just got pret-ty busy.**

 **I plan on popping out one more update today, probably for another one of my fics, but that's a big "if". So, we'll see.**

 **Until next time!**


	9. Welcome to the Savage Lands

**I know it's been a while since I updated, so notes about that will be at the bottom. See ya there 3**

 **Told in omniscient point of view, but generally still focuses on KaZar.**

Glaring at Taskmaster was beginning to get boring. Of course, doing the same thing for hours and hours on end was _bound_ to grow repetitive, but KaZar had been relying on his hate for Taskmaster to fuel him for _at least_ two-thirds of their time in the jet, and yet they were barely half-way and his hatred was beginning to wane on the side of odiumly inclined.

Aside from sitting in the cargo hold waiting for his self-proclaimed nemesis to do something nefarious, there wasn't much to do in a SHIELD jet. None of the agents had packed any time-consuming activities to keep them entertained during the flight, and he had already sharpened his bowie knife - a post-battle habit - before even leaving the Tricarrier. They could've at least left a pack of cards.

Though, he supposed the Avengers didn't usually need to be kept occupied. They were all about planning and strategizing, and entertaining themselves through righteous morale and the consistent end-game of justice - or...something like that. He wasn't sure, this was his first time really spending alone-time with any of the Avengers; not to mention that these were two of the most serious superheroes on the team.

Captain America and Hulk. The "embodiment of the American way" (according to what Spider-Man has said), and a green giant with anger-issues. One is the leaders of the Avengers, and other was someone who had to constantly keep his emotions in check. Maybe KaZar didn't know the Avengers as well as he should, but the two he was stuck with didn't seem like the most fun and spirited of the group. To be honest, he was beginning to fill a little out of his depth.

These were the publically dubbed "Earth's Mightiest Avengers," and the public was not easy to appease. They must've been doing something right to earn the title, not to mention they've been on _way_ more missions and world-saving quests and had a whole arsenal of knowledge and experience backing them up.

All KaZar knew was which trails not to go on and how to wield a big knife. Not exactly the most amazing part of their hastily put-together team. Even Taskmaster could contribute more than him, and he was the bad guy.

Maybe he shouldn't be the one coming along after all.

 _OH, buck up,_ he scolded himself. _The Savage Lands is YOUR home. Not theirs. I know how to navigate it safely. THEY need me._

It was a little comforting if he kept telling himself that. Until he realized that they've all been to the Savage Lands before and have returned from the experience unharmed.

Why was he going again?

 _For the megamiphadus,_ his brain reminded him.

Oh, right. He knew where it was. That was why. The megamiphadus was generally pretty easy to track down unless it was just after the breeding period. By then, most areas will be deserted by the megamiphadus, as the newly mated couple settled into dens until their young were born, and _everything_ would be heavy with the stench so tracking them would extremely difficult. Not _impossible,_ but only for someone who knew what they were looking for.

What period was it back in the Savage Lands? It's been a while since he's seen his home, and it didn't run symmetrically to New York. There were generally no real seasons in the Savage Lands. There was the time when the animals sought mates, times when the fruit began to ripen, times when the tree's spread their spores, and the only varying temperatures they had was _hot_ , _drowning-in-sweat_ , and _sweltering_. The only time they ever had the faintest remnants of a season was when the wind would blow cooler than normal, sometime after the dry period. He wasn't sure how the worlds loud, panicky alarm ticked in comparison to the Savage Land's steady geographical clock.

Would if he was no longer in tune with his home? Would if being gone so long had severed his connection to the Savage Lands and its rhythm? A sliver of paranoid fear pierced the underside of his heart and bled with a familiar yearning for Zabu. KaZar leaned into his seat, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. His brother could never be cut off from their home, and in a way, he insured the same for KaZar. The life of the Savage Lands beat in them both, but more strongly in Zabu. KaZar always felt more confident when his brother was near.

Across from him, the door to the cargo hold opened and dull steps reverberated inside. "Hey kid, I'm on guard duty," the Hulk said, plodding over and gently settling on the seat. Even then, the metal bent under his immense weight. But if Hulk noticed its heavy whine, he didn't say anything, so neither did KaZar.

KaZar looked back over at Taskmaster, who was sitting arms crossed and silent across the cargo hold, and recalled _why_ he had been sitting in here with one of his most despised enemies. Ever since they removed the hard-light cuffs and gave him his weapons back, KaZar was adamant about keeping an eye on Taskmaster. So, he offered to take the first round of guard duty, and then the second...and maybe the third. Staying diligent to his task had been easy at first, but as the hours passed uneventfully, he had been wandering farther and farther into his thoughts.

Too far it turned out.

How long has it been since he _actually_ paid attention to what Taskmaster was doing? Anything could happen with that creep around.

For a minute KaZar was tempted to ask for the fourth shift, but the Hulk saw it on his face before he could even begin.

"No," he said. "You've been here for hours. Go get rest. You'll need it for the Savage Lands."

KaZar scoffed, leaning forward into the safety strap of his seat. "I'm not even tired,"

He's never seen the Hulk raise an eyebrow before.

"Oh really?" Hulk challenged, "Then why do you look like someone punched you in the face? I've fought zombies before kid, and it's almost weird how much you resemble one."

The need to argue was great, but KaZar couldn't compare himself much to a zombie because, well, he's never actually seen one face-to-face. He's seen clips and videoes after he admitted to the team that he hadn't watched many movies - of which they immediately promised to have a movie night sometime - but even so, KaZar doubted he looked like a flesh-rotting humanoid creature trying to eat brains.

Hulk laughed heartily at KaZar's scowl and clapped him on the back. "Go on Jungle-Kid, I'll watch Taskmaster,"

Well, he couldn't exactly flat-out refuse. KaZar grabbed his bowie knife and tightened the thin gauntlet on his wrist, and left, glaring at Taskmaster one last time. As soon as the cargo door closed behind him though, he skeptically glanced at himself in the polished metal of the door. His skin wasn't rotted nor did he appear even remotely hungry in his contorted image, so maybe Hulk was just seeing things.

"Zombies," he scoffed and sheathed the bowie knife in the holster on his back.

Captain America was up front flying the jet. KaZar took one of the seats that lined up in small rows behind the cockpit, the one closest to the window. Outside it was nothing but misty clouds and the occasional glimpse of the ocean far below. How much longer would it be until they arrived?

He could almost imagine the warm feel of the suns rays, the humid weight of the air, and the buzzing signs of life in the jungle. The rough up-and-down tumble of its heartbeat, always steady and strong, pulsing through his veins even now. Or, at least, a faint thrum of what it once was. A sudden, overwhelming feeling of homesickness hit him, and he tucked his feet under his legs and curled his arms tightly over his chest to suppress the feeling. The ride there suddenly seemed too long. Why weren't they there already? Wasn't SHIELD supposed to have fast jets?

He peered past his seat, glancing up at the man at the wheel. "Uh, Captain America," he called, and said man glanced over his shoulder, "when will we be arriving at the Savage Lands?"

"Soon," Captain America replied, back to the controls, "We've got a few more hours to go."

Hours? That was _soon?_

KaZar squirmed, feeling the sudden urge to fidget. He forgot to take into consideration how much time it was going to take to get there, having been so wrapped up in thinking up ways to begin to track the megamiphidas. He didn't like staying still for so long, not unless it was absolutely necessary. What was he expected to do for the remainder of the trip?

"You should get some rest," Captain America added over his shoulder. "You'll need it."

KaZar resisted the urge to eye-roll. Why did everyone want him to sleep? He was perfectly fine being awake. Besides, if any of them needed sleep, it was his two fellow comrades. They were the ones who didn't know the Savage Lands. They were the ones who were going to need all their energy just to keep up.

"I'm fine," he replied, sitting resolutely straight to prove through his lack of slumping that sleep was the last thing he needed. "Maybe," he fidgeted anxiously, " - maybe _you guys_ should get some sleep. The Savage Lands won't spare you the time for it."

Captain America paused, and KaZar held his breath. Oh, that was a _bad idea_. People didn't just mouth off to Captain America! There were undiscussed rules within the hero world. He was getting court-marshaled, he was going to be punished for insubordination! When did he secretly become Spider-Man? He froze, waiting for the Avenger to whirl around and order him to drop down and give him twenty. But instead, surprisingly enough, Captain America shrugged and pushed a button on the dashboard controls, and the words: _**Auto-Pilot Initiated**_ , flashed briefly over the screen and he got up, stretching his arms. "Now that's something I can agree on." he said, "I could use a few hours of sleep myself. There's nothing else to do here anyway."

KaZar tried not to let his jaw drop as Captain America sat in and reclined one of the chairs, tossed his shield and helmet onto the seat next to him, and cuddled up as comfortably as he could into the tough cushion. Captain America, honest-to-Odin, _snuggled_ into a shield jet chair not 5 feet away from him.

Spider-Man was going to be _so_ jealous when KaZar told him about this.

It wasn't the first time he's seen the older man without his helmet, but it was the first time he looked so at ease. Captain America's hair was almost as blonde as his. There were bags under his eye, KaZar also noticed. Worry lines on his forward. In fact, he almost seemed exhausted.

"Are you going to keep staring at me like that?" Captain America asked, eyes closed, and KaZar ripped his gaze away and hid farther into his seat, embarrassed for being caught.

To prevent himself from further humiliation, he kept his eyes fixated on the clouds outside. Gradually, the breathing at his back got slower and deeper and in no time he was certain the Avenger was asleep. Even then, he kept his eyes outside, waiting for the moment that the Savage Lands might appear on the horizon.

He wasn't sure how much time passed, but his eyelids were almost completely closed when he realized he was starting to doze. Every fiery, rebellious nerve inside sparked and he straightened his back with the intent not to give in. He couldn't go to sleep now. Not after rejecting the suggestion from both Hulk _and_ Captain America. But his body didn't seem to run along the same tracks, as his eyes grew heavier and sleep began oppressing from all sides.

 _No_ , KaZar snapped at his brain. _No sleep. I don't need it._

 _Sleep,_ his brain smiled hazily.

 _No sleep!_ Kazar snapped back. _It's too late for that._

 _Sleep,_ his brain agreed, and he decided it was a lost cause.

 _For a few minutes,_ he conceded and lay back in the chair.

Sleep overtook him before he could scold it for coming on so fast.

* * *

"KaZar, wake up."

A hand was gently shaking his shoulder. Somewhere in his half-asleep consciousness, he was aware that he should respond, but his other half yawned and bat the hand away instead.

"C'mon kid, we gotta get a move on."

Maybe in 5 minutes.

" _Son_ , the Savage Lands are coming up. We gotta get prepped."

 _That_ woke him up. KaZar jolted up, and very nearly head-butt Captain America's helmet, but was spared the headache when the Avenger jerked back just in time. KaZar deftly apologized, though the words felt like cotton on his dry tongue, and ungracefully pulled out of his seat and rammed into the window. A smile cracked his lethargic, sleep-hazy demeanor, and he shook the rest of the cobwebs away. Across the large icy starch plane of the Antartica, a wall of grey and white mountains began to peek from the ground, that arched into a large circle that went on growing as they drew closer. Past their peaks, a steady blanket of thickly spread tree's was laid out across the ground, broken up by small mountains that guarded valleys and cliffs inside. A large plateau rose from the ground, where glittering waterfalls winked at him beckoningly. Speckles dotted the sky, swooping and diving on the winds, and farther in the distance a red dot flickered, attached by a black string; a volcano belching its flame. He wasn't outside yet, but he could already feel the familiar humid air.

A giggled found its way up his chest and he sagged against the window. "I'm back," he murmured into the glass, feeling an unaccounted bubble of stress pop with his giggle. "I can't believe it, I'm - I'm home again."

He turned, noticing Captain America again. The older man was smiling in a way that seemed almost sentimental. His eyes were soft as he gestured toward the cargo-hold. "Let's go. Hulk and Taskmaster are waiting."

KaZar was too excited to wonder what that smile meant. He grabbed his bowie knife and bo-staff, secured his wrist gauntlets, and followed Captain America with butterfly excitement. He was so ready to be back in his element, to feel the soft earth under his feet, to hear the buzz of insects and roar of dinosaurs, and to observe the tribes of the land as they all went about their wild way of life.

Not even seeing Taskmaster again was enough abate his eagerness.

Hulk was standing near the mercenary, arms folded but relaxed. "What took you so long?" he rumbled.

"Sorry, was just getting a few things," Captain America said as he stood next to the control panel to the jets landing gear, checked a few things, before heading back to the cockpit to safely land their aircraft. KaZar stood next to Hulk, clutching the bo-staff and fidgeting with the strap across his chest.

Hulk must've noticed that something was off about him, as he asked, "Nervous?"

"No," KaZar said, eyes fixated on the door "Just excited,"

That earned him a snort. "I think you might be the only one. Been here before. The dinosaurs are fun to wrestle with, but it's not really my type of place."

KaZar grinned and looked up at Hulk, cocking his head to the side inquiringly. "Then what is your type of place?"

"Deserts," Hulk shrugged. "Sand-dunes. Places with little life to pulverize. It's the best place to keep a team of smashers anyway. It's hard not to crush plants." He seemed very adamant about that, and KaZar wondered what poor plants have seen the underside of Hulk's feet.

Sometimes he forgot Hulk had his own team of fellow hulks. He's never seen them before, but he's watched some the news footage and Spider-Man talked highly of them. Truly a force to be reckoned with.

But, he merely smirked and spun the bo staff in an intricate arc.

"You just have to fall into the Savage Land rhythm. Once you get it figured out, it's - well, it's still dangerous, but you have a better chance of making it out alive," he said, and the eagerness heightened. "I'm just happy to be back home."

"Well," Hulk clapped him in the back, almost truckling him underhand, "it's nice to have a guide for once. _Every time_ I end up here, my team end up separated. Glad this is just an in and out mission this time."

KaZar's smile lost some of its zeal. "Yeah. In and out," he shrunk the bow staff and tucked it into the cord around his waist, mumbling, "Great..."

Hulk peered down at him, and his gaze smoothed. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure you'll be back home from SHIELD in no time."

"I know," KaZar said, "but, well...it's nice having outsider experience, but-but I miss my home a lot too, and," he paused to stroke the tooth dangling from his neck, "and my brother. I miss my brother." How much longer would Zabu have to be locked up in the Academy? How many weeks did he have to go without looking at the sky and feeling the sun? A cold, dark metal prison was no place for his brother.

The pat on his back was a tad softer this time. "We'll get him back too. There's no way we're going to let anyone get away with this."

"Yes," KaZar glanced at Taskmaster, uncaring for how obvious he was about it. "We won't."

"Save it, kid," Taskmaster glowered right back. "I was nowhere near your school when it was attacked."

KaZar didn't believe that for a second. All of the other villains had been tucked away in a SHIELD cell when the attack happened, and the only one who had the abilities to sneak inside the Academy without detection, aside from a locked up Beetle, was definitely Taskmaster.

His disbelief must've been evident on his face, as Taskmaster merely scoffed and turned away as if it wasn't even worth the time to try and convince him otherwise. Which was probably for the best too, as anything Taskmaster had to say would fall on deaf ears. The jet jolted with turbulence, and the butterflies in his stomach multiplied in numbers as the aircraft began its descent. Taskmaster was forgotten in an instance as a tingle of anxious excitement buzzed through KaZar's fingers. He kept one hand firmly in one of the holds in the wall while the other wound tightly around the tip of the bo-staff.

The descent didn't take long, but it felt like time had deliberately slowed just to irk him. When the jet finally hit the ground, a landing as smooth as the metal of Captain America's vibranium shield, the gears within hummed and the landing ramp began to fall. But it wasn't fast enough either, and when it had opened wide enough to fit a person, KaZar jumped up and grabbed the bars of the jet and swung himself through the crack of light and down onto the awaiting land.

He got back to his feet, slow and easy. The ground had been upheaved and smoothed over with dirt, then packed hard with a history of being driven on. In front of him, a thick grey wall of concrete loomed, with the peaks of a building lurking inside. The gates were closed tightly and guards stood watch both inside and out, weapons up and aimed at the aircraft even though it bore the same SHIELD logo that was stamped on the wall of their edifice. That was weird. He didn't remember Director Fury mentioning a SHIELD base in the Savage Lands.

But he ignored the tasteless building, shoving it into a corner to be dealt with later, and turned to take in the flavor of his home. High, grey mountains rose up as towers in the distance, guarding the land against the snows and storms outside, where beyond that the waters of the bay resided. Tree's stood in a far blanket, sentinels in their height, and popping with various shades of luscious green with their twisting vines, leaves, and thick, moss-covered branches. The air was warm, but moist with water, and the sun's rays were like a healing balm to the ache that had made an unconscious home in his chest. He could hear the sounds of the Savage Lands past the dying hum of the jet, from the buzzing of the work-driven insects, the rustling of the tree's as they beckoned him forward, and the call of the jungle's inhabitants whispering through the wind like dozens of different frequencies he could tap into.

Home.

"You know, you could've just waited for the ramp to go down," Hulk commented as he stomped off the jet, directing Taskmaster toward the SHIELD facility with a giant, green hand that took up most of the grown man's shoulder.

"It's as beautiful as I remember," KaZar said, sucking in a deep breath, tasting the rich flavor of freshly plowed dirt. He dug his feet into the earth a little more, connecting himself further into the land as if to tap into its reserves. "Oh, I've missed it so much."

Captain America stopped next to him, looking around too. "It sure is something," he agreed. They stood like that for a moment, before Cap grabbed at his collar and hefted his shield a little more. "Forgot how hot it was here though."

KaZar merely hummed, catching the roar of a dinosaur in the distance. The sun had risen past midday and was making steady progress across the sky. If they planned on making this an in-and-out mission, then they'd have to get a move before it got dark. He only wished they had more time, so he could explore the terrain, reconnect with its beat, and adjust to the changes the jungle underwent in his absence.

"When do we start?" he asked.

"As soon as we check in with SHIELD's Monitor Station," Captain America said, nodding toward the building, and smoothly picked up into a walk, inspiring the same from KaZar. Ahead, Hulk had already made it to the gates, which were slowly cranking open. He huffed and folded his arms, before growling in impatience and grabbing Taskmaster by the scruff of his neck, and then jumped them both over the wall instead. Through the door's crack, Hulk dropped Taskmaster on the ground, who fell, scrambled to his feet, and sputtered angry curses that only made Hulk smirk.

KaZar grinned wider.

"Any ideas where to start?" Captain America continued.

He glanced once more through the terrain. Opposite to the peaks to their left, a cliff rose up in the distance. Somewhere beyond that, the Mystic Mists jungle hid on its plateau. That'd be the first place to go, as it was one of the places the megamiphadus frequented most.

"To the Mystic Mists," KaZar answered, "and if what we seek isn't there, then the Lost Lake is next."

"Mystic Mists, Lost Lake," Captain America parroted, shaking his head. "I'm glad we actually have a guide this time, otherwise we'd probably get lost again." he shook his head, frowning this time. "I swear, it happens _everytime_."

KaZar shrugged, "I'll do my best to ensure the safety of my group."

Captain America clapped his shoulder and grinned, "And us for you."

They walked through the gates before it closed shut again. But even within its concrete walls, the beat of the Savage Lands drum still thrummed hard around them. You couldn't invade its jungles and try to hide. The Savage Land found you, no matter what.

It was good to be home.

 **Ohhh, it's been so long, amirite?**

 **Well, I'll be glad to get back in tune with this story. I've missed writing it so much. T.T**

 **Anyway, I know I just got back into this, but a writing contest came up that I want to participate in, so I'm gonna take some time to work on that. Thank you to the people who are still following this story. I'm so sorry for neglecting it for so long! I love you all!**

 **KaZar's finally back in the Savage Lands :3 I can't wait to write more of this place. XD**

 **Till then, see you later Chilladas!**


	10. Mid-Life Crisis

Spider POV

Today was a bad day for Spider.

It was one of those days where everything seemed too small. It felt as though the very walls were closing in on him, and the air was too dry, and it was quiet. It felt so...so...confined...stuffy...claustrophobic. It was claustrophobic today.

Not even the comfort of his little spider companions as they strung their homes among his web could cheer him up. He, himself, was strewn across the thick layer of webs strung from wall to wall, lying in comfy blankets he found in the weird structures - bunks, Peter said - below. The spiders busy stringing their webs went along their merry business, unaware of the way he picked loosely at a dangling string, making Spider wish he had someone to share his grief with.

He was the only one of his pack to really know the outside. One of the two who knew the exit to their freedom. Triton didn't understand the clarity of his discovery. He thought it was a way to the ocean, but Spider knew it was so much more, and it was really getting to him. He was getting - getting...apprehensive. He imagined it was the way Triton felt too. There was something buzzing in his limbs and his head, urging him to go down to the hatch finally be free. But he - he couldn't. Not yet, and that thought alone made sitting feel like true torment.

It was in all the hot, claustrophobic moments like this that he was tempted to throw all caution aside and go to the hatch. He was close. So, so very close. But he couldn't do yet. Not now, because his pack isn't ready yet. If they tried, and as much as Spider hated to admit it, they would be taken down by their enemies just like last time.

If they were going to win their freedom, they needed to be stronger. He needed to be stronger. He KNOWS this.

A wanton whine escapes him nonetheless, and Spider turns over in his web, curling up on his side with two of his left arms dangling through the open notches in the web. His pack is out resting for now. They had another easy win against the prisoner. Why Wolverine made it so easy on them, Spider couldn't quite understand.

He was being hunted. He should fight back, try to win and survive. That was...well, it just felt right. When Spider was fighting his enemies from the outside, he felt attacked. He felt hunted. Every part of him was telling him to attack faster and better, to win and _survive._ Why was it so different for Wolverine.

Spider waited for Peter to pipe up with some annoying comment, but was surprised when it remained quiet.

Curious, he lifted his head, almost as if to look for Peter. Cocking his head, Spider crooned softly to get its attention, and this time he felt a small stirring inside.

 _What do you want_? Peter asked, and Spider was surprised with how...sad, it sounded. Why was Peter sad? It had no reason to be sad.

 _It's - it's nothing,_ Peter sighed, and Spider felt another shift inside him as if Peter was turning away. _Go back to fantasizing about the outside, or whatever._

While Spider did like to think of the Outside, he didn't like it when Peter was gloomy. It made HIM gloomy, and this Pack did not need a gloomy Alpha. Spider crooned again, louder, and stared at the little spiders crawling along a web nearby. Peter ignored him, and Spider scowled.

He hissed, startling the spiders, but it got Peter's attention enough for it to whirl back around.

 _Just leave me alone! You already have my body and my friends, you don't get to have me too!_

Friends? Things that are not enemies. Pfft, Peter didn't have any friends. He was stuck in Spider's head. Spider was his...well...Spider wasn't really his friend either.

 _You can't honestly think I'M the one who doesn't belong here?_ Peter snapped. _I was here first, Six Eyes. You were second._

Spider scoffed and rolled onto his back. That was ridiculous. Spider was Spider, and Peter was a weird, little voice. If Peter came first, then why was it only in Spider's head? That didn't make much sense. Peter was...what's the word...crazy? Uh..not right...it was...delusional. Yeah, that seemed like a good word.

Peter shifted again, turning away. It was talking low and soft, almost to itself. Spider rolled his eyes and crouched on his web, maneuvering through the strands till he was perched on the edge. It would still be a while before his Pack was up and ready to go for another round of hunting. Maybe Spider should take this time to do...to do something. He wasn't quite sure what. But sitting here, doing nothing, was getting dull.

Now that he thought about it, there wasn't much to do in their prison. He's roamed the halls countless times, finished weaving his web-strands to alert him to his enemies, much to the displeasure of his aching wrists. He's already searched the place top to bottom trying to find a way out. There was just nothing.

 _Probably how your prisoners feel,_ Peter said. _Do you think they want to be here any more than you do? They're kind of like you and your Pack in these circumstances._

Spider bristled. Peter shouldn't compare his prisoners to his Pack. They were different. Very different. Spider only needed the prisoners to ensure that his Pack would have a way to expand their skills. His enemies kept them here because - because of a reason Spider couldn't understand. He mulled over it often enough, but an answer never came. Why couldn't they just let them go? Why was it so bad that Spider and his Pack went outside? Why did his enemies have to keep them here in the dark when they could be out in the sun?

A whine keened past Spider's throat, empty, hollow, and lonely in the room. Peter shifted, this time drawing close.

 _Hey,_ it said softer this time. _Look...umm...I know you're kind of, like, new to all of this. You have no idea what's going on. But there's a reason you need to be here. A real one. Those people out there aren't your enemies. They're your - our - friends, and they're trying to help us. They're our Pack._

But that makes no sense, Spider wants to yell. His Pack would not lock him away like this. His Pack would not hurt and neglect one another. That's not what a Pack did. They were a group, surviving and working together.

Ever since Spider first opened his eyes, when he was strapped down to that - that...table, he thinks it was, he was being hurt by his enemies. His enemies had sharp, pointy things in his body. They pinned him down while he was hurting. They didn't try to make the hurt go away, they made it worse. They attacked him, hunted _him_ down, and pinned him again. Even then, before his Pack became his Pack, he could hear their pain too. Farther off where he couldn't get to them.

 _No, see that's - that's the thing,_ Peter stressed. _That wasn't you they had strapped down, it was ME. I am you. Or, well, I guess you are me. We are...us? Arg. See, this is my body. It was hurt, someone hurt it, and SHIELD tried to help. They're trying to find the people that_ really _hurt you - me. Us? Errg, this is getting confusing._

Yeah. Peter is usually confusing. But it's also wrong. This is Spider, not Peter. Peter wasn't in charge. Spider overpowered it, he was stronger.

 _Then why do you think I'm here, genius? People don't usually have a voice in their head. Why do you think you learn so much from me? Because I was there first. I was the one who experienced all those things - that's how you know them._

Stupid Peter. It's starting to annoy Spider. Everything it says is wrong. Spider is here, Spider was the first. Not Peter. Stupid, stupid Peter.

Spider jumped off the web, landing loud and rough on the floor. He jumped on to the wall and climbed through the exit, following along the web-lined walls, trying to ignore the way his stomach was beginning to feel weird. What was that? It made Spider feel odd. Made his fingers twitch with puzzling energy.

Anxiety, is the word that comes to mind. Unease. He knows what Peter said is wrong, but why was it making him feel like this. Why does it make him ponder on its words, wondering if _maybe_ Peter is rig-

No. Spider squares himself, glaring at the darkness of the hall. Peter is WRONG. He was not the first. Spider was not after. He - he was not the second. Cause if he was, that would mean -

RAH! No. He is Alpha and he will keep his Pack safe. No matter what Peter says. They will get to the Outside and they will hunt their enemies down. For good.

 _Spider, please. Just think about it. I know you've got your own thoughts and emotions at this point, but really think about it. Why else would I know about these things? Why else would I know about the Outside unless I've seen it? If you were first, and I was second, how could I know these things if you don't know them?_

Spider stops, struck. How - how did Peter know all of those things. Peter saw through Spider. If Spider didn't see them, then how does -

The yucky, bubbling feeling in his stomach heightens and - and he feels sick. That couldn't be true. No - no, it can't. Peter is wrong, it's just trying to annoy Spider. It knows how to get to him.

Spider realizes he's shaking.

He looked down at the webs under his fingers, to his many arms splayed around him. He looked at the red and blue fabric still covering parts of his body. Fabric that he hasn't torn at because...because it makes him feel better. Stronger?

Spider-Man. The word whispers through his head, and it sounds so familiar that it leaves Spider reeling. Those enemies outside, they were people. Men and woman are words that go with it. Is it possible that _Spider_ was a - a 'man' before? Was Spider a person like his enemies? Now that he thought about it, aside from his arm, he did, maybe, kind of, look like them. Body wise. He- he had feet. The other spiders, the one in his rooms, they didn't have feet.

Spider brought his fingers to his face. His enemies had fingers just like him. He touched his face lightly, feeling past his barbs and fangs at the structure beneath. Chin, cheeks, nose, ears...

His heart beat faster. Was he like his enemies?

Was he a Spider...Man?

 **Spider is becoming aware. Poor lil dear is probably so confused. Hi guys! Welcome back to another update! It's earlier than usual! I'm gonna be going somewhere tomorrow/today, and I wasn't sure if I'd get this done in time. So, tada! Early update!**

 **Just a quick reminder, I posted a book called "Fanfiction/Book Updates: Log-Book" on my wattpad accounts (OfficalUSMWriter and BornFromAshes). In case you guys ever wonder WHEN I'll be updating or WHAT I'll be updating next, go take a look in there. It also includes a list of my all my stories in all my accounts, their book cover, and the book description, in case you wanted to look those over too. It ALSO lists all my wattpad, and AO3 accounts. I felt guilty for keeping you all in the dark with updates, so voila!**

 **Hope you enjoyed Spider and the beginning of his mid-life crisis.**

 **Peace out, Chilladas!**

 **-OfficalUSMWriter/Mystery_Name**


	11. Welcome to the War

_ POV

His side still hurts.

It's only been a few days since his orders to take out the jungle kid and the wound he'd received in return wasn't healed up yet. Which was aggravating. It was bad enough training with gremlins of pain eating away at his ribs, he didn't need it while he was out on the job too. Besides, it was getting colder and the decreasing temperature made it feel even _worse_.

The aches and pains were like a relentless stick poking his eye, reminding him of his mistake with each new shove into his pupil. All the training and preparing he's done before the mission was useless, because no matter how many agents he fought off and strategies he memorized, he _still_ hadn't been expecting the jungle kid to snag him the way he did. They liked reminding him of it too and it only rubbed more salt in the wound. His superiors were not happy with his performance and it'd be a while before he was back in their good graces. If he could even call it good graces. The relationship between him and those above him was built strictly on the fundamentals of "Go there. Go here. Kill _that,"_ Which he did, every time, without fail. He did everything they told him to when they wanted him to do it, and usually, he did a good job.

Except for three days ago when a knife was shoved into his side.

It was a real shame jungle kid already left for the Savage Lands. He would've loved to make it even.

But he reasons that his superiors can't be _too_ disappointed in him. He wouldn't be staking out on the rooftops of lower Manhattan otherwise. His mission, however, was far from ideal in his opinion. He was a little surprised, and admittedly, irritated when they ordered him to follow the SHIELD Academy students on their patrols again. Trailing them while they "served the people" was dull, and when it wasn't dull he was getting stabbed, which, _okay_ , he'd been trying to stab the jungle kid too, but that was beside the point. Watching them punch bad guys and squabble with each other got old, even when he had a legit mission to go with it. But if he meant redeeming himself, he'd followed them right back to the Tricarrier and infiltrate SHIELD if he had too. He had been proud of the reputation he'd built for himself among his cohorts, so having it all crumbling down after _one_ mission was a heavy blow to his pride.

It also meant he was itching to attack something. The anger simmering in his gut was the kind that threw punches first and never asked questions, and he'd be glad to slice up a few of those students to relieve frustration building in his stomach. But he was given strict orders to follow ONLY, _do not engage in all means necessary or he'd regret it._

So following he did and it was boring.

It was normal for them to patrol in a group, but they were also fond of splitting up to cover more ground. But ever since his attack on their comrade, he was both pleased and smug to find, that they've begun patrolling together more, so he supposed that his mishap hadn't been a complete waste. Besides, it was hard trying to keep tabs on all of them when they decided to make New York their free-for-all playground. It was easier to do his job this way.

There were four students on patrol today, one more than usual. He focused on each of their faces, names flashing through his brain, followed by a list of their powers and the best way to take them down.

The tall muscled one with the black and white spider symbol. Agent Venom. Strength: symbiote - living creature. Assets: webs, super strength, danger-sense. Aggressive. Dangerous. Weaknesses: Electricity, fire, and vibrations.

Grey and black one with the hood, hovering off the ground, glowing eyes. Cloak. Assets: teleportation. Spontaneous. Random. Good for escape. Best way to take him down would be to hit fast and hit _hard_. Take him out when he's stunned. No more escape.

Flying one. Blue aura. Gold, red, and black colors. Helmet. Nova. Shoots highly concentrated beams of energy. Arrogant. Wisecrack. Fast. _Really_ fast. Like Cloak, it'd be best to hit him _faster._ Knock the helmet off of him and take him out when he's defenseless.

The tall one, very muscley, yellow, grey, and black colors. Powerman. _Super_ strong. Invulnerable skin. Fast, but not too fast. Dangerous. Don't let him get you. Keep a distance. Hitting hard wouldn't work as well in this case. Get him isolated from the group, keep him busy. Trap him.

They were all stopped on a building, taking a break from a long night of busting a car chase, stopping several muggings, and an attempted sexual assault. They looked relaxed, but their shoulders were too tense to pass off as calm. He noticed every glance shot over their shoulder, and the skeptical looks they cast toward the shadows.

They were expecting him.

But none of that mattered because his new target wasn't even _there_ anyway. The capsule's stuck on his wrists seemed to weigh on his arms, weighing more like a ton than a few ounces, and he left them pressed to his side so he didn't jostle the temperamental cargo. The serum made him nervous. All cautious tingles that never ceased because he wasn't trying to get away from it or fix the problem. It made his fingers twitch and his wrists want to flex and left anxiety hiding in the joints of his arms, ready to jump at a moments notice.

If this serum got on _him_...

Frustrated, and a tad nervous, he held out his arms a little, curling them around his stomach and curled away from the ledge he'd peeping from, huddling farther into the shadows. The cover cast by the water tower was appreciated. It didn't matter that he was several buildings away from the Academy students, he didn't want any chance of getting his cover blown. Despite mapping out their odds and ends, a direct attack was only if things got _really_ bad, and his superiors would feed HIM the serum if things got that bad. So, no. Incognito was the way to go.

He grabbed the small screen stuck to his side, turning the smooth glass surface to his front where a masked face glared back at him. He held down the little button in the top corner, the only one on the entire device, and waited a few seconds before letting it go. The tablet hummed as it was taken over and turned on a moment later. The picture was fuzzy and static-y at first but evened out the brighter it got. A face appeared, blown up across the screen and not very happy to see him.

"Target's not here," he told the face.

"How unfortunate, vor you," the face responded coldly. "And vhat do you plan to do about it?"

He shuffled uncomfortably, butt already getting numb from the rough gravel laid out on the rooftop, as his fingers curled around the edge of the screen. "I'll...keep staking out the team." He said slowly.

The face smiled. Not necessarily a happy one, but the one a teacher might use when the dimwit finally got the right answer after 10 minutes of explaining. "Very good," it approved. "Then you better get going. Keep that serum safe, your it vill not end vell for you."

"Yes sir, Arnim Zola." He replied, stiff without meaning too. "I'll keep staking out Academy students. I'll report as soon as they leave back for the Tricarrier."

"And keep out of sight," Arnim Zola elaborated, eyes boring into his dark lenses. "We vouldn't vant another incident like last to happen, vould we Scarlet Spider?"

Scarlet shook his head, feeling the angry pressure on his wound heighten. "No Sir, we wouldn't." It comes out through grit teeth, but Arnim Zola doesn't comment on it. Maybe he didn't notice.

"Hail Hydra." He says.

"Hail Hydra." Scarlet responds, and the screen goes black again, leaving him cast in shadows once more. He stuck it back against his thigh, webbing it down so it didn't go anywhere, and crawled back over to the ledge. The students haven't left yet.

The screen felt too warm against his skin - even through the suit - the capsule sent tingles of danger up his neck, and his target _wasn't_ here. Iron Fist hadn't been out on patrols yet, so Scarlet knew he was bound to show up sooner than later, but he wished he'd show up faster.

The sooner he tagged Iron FIst with the serum the sooner he could get these liquid bombs off his wrists. It was the best job they had for him since his previous target was living it up in the Savage Lands. But he figured he couldn't complain. Whether KaZar got away or not, the result would be the same. Arnim Zola already had someone else on the task of taking him out.

For now, it meant Scarlet got to mold himself into the building ledge, dig his knees into the gravel, and wait. Silently watching. Observing. Mapping out all the different routes he could take to pick them off, one-by-one, till no one but those mutated "heroes" were left.

He couldn't wait to see them get what was coming to them, and boy was it on its way.

 **Welcome to the war, Scarlet. I'm happy you've finally arrived. C:**

 **EXTRA NOTES! I have posted the final chapter to my original short story, "Inmates: X-227" and I have also published another one-shot based on a picture I drew in my art book (hint: its an au involving Peter and a couple of spider-themed kitties). So you guys can go check that out too XD**

 **Looks like things are spicing up here around the Academy! HEeeheeheehee! I'm so excited! :D**

 **-OfficalUSMWriter out!**


	12. Stalling is Appalling

**Ayyyye! Look at this! :D New chapter! *dances***

Taskmaster POV

Taskmaster was getting downright bilious with SHIELD.

Particularly after spending an uncomfortable night inside a SHIELD cell - no doubt while the other three members of his " _group_ " were sleeping in warm, comfortable bunks - so come morning, he wasn't feeling exactly thrilled to start the first leg of their hike through the jungles.

If he were being honest, it wasn't even the fact that he slept in a cell that was dampening his mood - _please,_ he's slept in _way_ worse conditions - so perhaps it was just the fact that it was a _SHIELD_ cell that made him so furious. He's promised himself, time and time again, that he'd run his own dagger through his chest before joining them again. Yet there he was, sandwiched between the Hulk and Captain America as their young guide led them through the jungles just outside of the base.

Taskmaster could remember his last journey here all too well. At the time, he'd been trying to enlist KaZar to his Thunderbolts taskforce to relinquish the Goblin from SHIELD custody.

He could still recall getting the job from Goblin himself, just before the villain was arrested. Taskmaster wondered how Goblin predicted he would be caught and properly detained, before deciding it didn't matter to him. A job was a job.

But given the fragility of this job, he couldn't entrust it to one of his mercenary students. This was one he had to do himself, personally. Honestly, he hadn't originally intended to create the Thunderbolt strike team. It had come to him in a stroke of inspiration.

Before even glancing at the SHIELD list, Taskmaster had been spending tireless hours stalking a SHIELD base, memorizing its layouts and routines before sneaking in to hack the servers for the layout of Goblins prison aboard the Tricarrier. _That's_ when he'd stumbled upon it.

A list made up of teenagers, all with a vast array of abilities and powers. Despite the severity of his job, Taskmaster had been intrigued, wondering what SHIELD could possibly want _these_ kids for. Until he saw Spider-Man's name at the top, near Nick Fury's, and it all clicked.

Spider-Man was building a new team. Taskmaster knew this because he's made enough SHIELD taskforces and strike teams in his time to recognize an enlistment layout when he saw one.

That news really put a damper on his plans. It was bad enough that Spider-Man and his Ultimates team were always on his back, but include this _New Warriors_ team to the equation- which was a childish name - and he was asking for more trouble than the job was worth.

Unless...he got to them first.

Cloak and Dagger were a very intriguing pair. She with her intense light abilities and him with his teleportation. Getting into the Tricarrier would be _that_ much easier.

KaZar and Zabu, two beasts of the Savage Lands with the guts and instincts to take on even the most fierce and experienced threats. Very promising.

Amadeus Cho, the smartest kid in the world. Hacking into a SHIELD base seemed like it'd be a good challenge for him.

There were more kids there, each with a set of powers that could be most beneficial.

So, Taskmaster quickly downloaded a copy of the list, the Tricarrier's layout and blueprints, as well as a mission report stating pieces of Venom were still all over the city. Venom would be a very good addition to his Thunderbolts.

After that, he'd simply set his sights on making his own super-powered team while simultaneously coming up with a plan to break Goblin out. Out of all of the kids that he tried to enlist though, it was KaZar and his blasted pet, Zabu, that gave him the most trouble.

They'd been relentless, even when Taskmaster first approached them. Having a superior knowledge of the Savage Lands, it was nearly impossible to track them in their domain, which only made Taskmaster glad that he'd had the right mind to enlist Kraven to help. He'd managed to capture the sabretooth, for some immortality thing Kraven wanted to try, that, Taskmaster had no doubt, would be apprehended and stopped by some hero flittering along. But KaZar was a tough one. After getting the sabretooth, it was nearly impossible to negotiate. A situation Taskmaster admitted he should've seen coming.

It only made matters worse when Spider-Man showed up, pushing the boundaries of their undiscussed competition to see who could get their team built first.

Although, Taskmaster would admit that seeing Spider-Man get hit with that poison-tipped dart and becoming "savage" was quite a treat. Very interesting.

Very interesting, indeed.

Still, in the end, KaZar and Zabu joined Spider-Man and it was another pesky blotch to Taskmasters plan.

But no matter. He finished and completed his job, whether his Thunderbolts joined Spider-Man in the end or not, he could care less about them now.

Still, being so close to the jungle again made Taskmaster want to make a break for cover and finally leave these irritating heroes behind. He could stalk them from a distance, wait until KaZar was alone, and then strike.

That plan would not work though. Not if the note he'd been given was anything to go by. He'd read it subtly to himself, while he was in the cell, then swallowed the paper so there was no trace of it.

The message was small and to the point:

 _ **Stall them.**_

Which meant they _didn't_ want him to kill KaZar yet. It was irritating, but it was what must be done.

How he was going to do it was the problem. With Captain America and the Hulk leering down his back, he'd need to think of some creative ways to stall their mission without looking suspicious.

Perhaps he wouldn't need to though. The jungle is hot and humid enough. If he had any stroke of luck, the temperature could do the stalling for him. Judging by the way Captain America kept tugging at his collar, the heat was getting to him.

Not that Taskmaster was doing any better. He wasn't wearing his suit designed to handle this rough terrain, and consequently, within an hour he was sweating profusely within his armor, which attracted all sorts of bugs that he couldn't swat away due to his hands being cuffed together.

"Take these off," he finally growled, turning sharply to Captain America. "We're in the Savage Lands now, and I need to be able to defend myself."

"Not until we know you can be trusted," Captain America said, and Hulk grunted in agreement ahead of them.

"What could I _possibly_ do with you two leering down my back?" Taskmaster demanded. "Besides, how am I supposed to help KaZar find the megamiphadus if I can't use my hands?"

Captain America glowered at him, but Taskmaster could see him thinking about it. He knew the super soldier saw his point, and unless he wanted Taskmaster as a liability to their"team," he needed to make him mobile again.

Granted, staying cuffed and becoming a liability would effectively stall the mission too. But there were so many more tactics and strategies Taskmaster could use with his hands free. Stalling them for a while was his first priority.

After a moment, Captain America looked up at Hulk, who grunted again and marched after KaZar, who was hastily climbing a tree to get a better sense of where they were, then looked back at Taskmaster.

"Very well, but if you try _anything_ , I won't be taking them off a second time."

Taskmaster begrudgingly agreed and held his wrists out. Captain America swiped a card over them. They clicked and withdrew around Taskmaster's wrist, dangling like bracelets. The Captain grabbed the cuffs, holding them tight as if worried Taskmaster might make a grab for them and run for it, and fastened them securely to his belt.

Wordlessly, Taskmaster turned around and followed after KaZar.

There would be no telling when he would get some leeway to stall the group, and given that he was already under so much suspicion, it was only going to make this harder. But Taskmaster was up for a little challenge.

He had to be. If this master plan was going to work, then they needed KaZar and the megamiphadus out of the picture. Preferably, for good. But he could understand why killing the brat would cause trouble.

The same kind of trouble that trying to kill off KaZar back in New York started. Fury wouldn't have agreed to the Savage Land mission so quickly if the attack hadn't happened. All trying to kill off KaZar _did_ was shine a light in their weak spot.

If they'd listened to Taskmaster, this never would have happened in the first place.

But, there would be no grumbling about it now. He had a mission to complete, and he was going to do it.

Staring at KaZar's vulnerable back, Taskmaster began his planning for the best ways to stall the mission, while mentally mapping out the easiest way to slit the kid's throat.

* * *

 **Sorry, this one was so short. It started out intentionally longer, but then I lost my buzz for the chapter and it ended earlier. :C I mean, it has everything I needed in it, technically. So, I guess we're good.**

 **Anywho, here we go! :D Another chapter *does dance* I swear I WILL finish this story! I WILL! This one just happens to be taking longer *nervous laugh***

 **Keep an eye out for more updates! I have, with a bit of luck on my side, around 2-3 more updates planned for today/tonight! YAY!**


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